Freshman Year Reading 2010 Catalog by Random House

ALLWORTH PRESS CROWN Broadway Books Clarkson Potter Crown Business Crown Forum Doubleday Religion Harmony Books Monacelli Press Shaye Areheart Books Ten Speed Press Three Rivers Press WaterBrook Multnomah DC COMICS HATHERLEIGH PRESS KUPERARD PUBLISHING MARK BATTY PUBLISHER MELVILLE HOUSE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEW YORK REVIEW BOOKS NORTH ATLANTIC BOOKS OSPREY PUBLISHING OTHER PRESS RADICAL PUBLISHING RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO RANDOM HOUSE INFORMATION GROUP Fodor’s Travel Group Living Language Princeton Review

RECOMMENDED TITLES

RH Reference Sylvan Learning RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP Ballantine Bantam Classics Del Rey Delacorte Press Delta Dial Press DTP Modern Library One World RH Trade Paperbacks Spectra Spiegel & Grau Villard RIZZOLI SHAMBHALA STEERFORTH PRESS TITAN BOOKS TRIUMPH BOOKS VERTICAL BOOKS WELCOME BOOKS WIZARDS OF THE COAST

Random House, Inc.

Random House, Inc. • Academic Dept., 6-2 • 1745 Broadway • New York, NY 10019 e-mail: mgentile@randomhouse.com • tel.: 212-782-8387• Visit our new blog at: www.commonreads.com

Table of Contents

Dear Freshman Year Reading Director: As we begin a new decade full of possibility and opportunity, we wonder: How have common reading programs benefited students, and how can they develop to meet a changing student populace? While answers may vary, one thing is increasingly made clear: the selection of the “right” book by the “right” author about the “right” topic can make all of the difference; so this year we present to you both classic books with the strongest track records and exciting new books with the best potential. You’ll note that we have maintained the overall format of the catalog but, in response to feedback, have added two new features: “Messages from the Authors” and, by more popular request, “Messages from Your Colleagues”, where your fellow program directors share feedback on authors and books, such as: “I would HIGHLY recommend this book for use in a first-year seminar or reading program. The response from our students and faculty was incredibly positive, and Warren St. John’s presentation to our students was outstanding.” (Georgia Institute of Technology on Outcasts United, pgs. 14&15) “This text captured the interest of our entire academic community because Bill Strickland’s message of hope and potential crosses all disciplines and academic levels. Our faculty actively engaged hundreds of students in a variety of curricular and co-curricular activities based on the themes expressed in this impressive text.” (Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Make the Impossible Possible, pgs. 46&47) “The book’s broad scope would make it ideal for an institution-wide freshman year reading program . . . Rebecca Skloot is a master of the written word.” (North Carolina Central University on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, pgs. 52&53) In addition to this print resource, we have launched a new blog dedicated solely to common reading. Visit www.commonreads.com to get the latest information on new book selections, read and share feedback on books, and take part in our free book offers. Now, more than ever, let’s continue our conversation as we face a new decade with exciting—and sometimes confounding—challenge and opportunity. Sincerely,

Michael D. Gentile Director, Academic Marketing Random House, Inc. 1745 Broadway New York, NY 10019 Speaking at the 2009 First-Year Experience Tel. (212) 782-8387 Random House Luncheon in Orlando, FL Fax (212) 940-7381 e-mail: mgentile@randomhouse.com

LIFE STORIES—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography ..................................1 FICTION TO TALK ABOUT ............................32 INSPIRATION AND GUIDANCE......................45 HISTORY AND SOCIETY................................52 LIFE & COLLEGE GUIDES ............................61 GO GREEN ....................................................68 MONEY MATTERS ........................................75 INDEX ..........................................................77 ORDER FORM ..............................................80

Examination Copies Examination copies are available to college professors, instructors, or administrators seeking titles to review for adoption consideration. The exam copy prices are as follows: $3.00 for each paperback priced under $20.00, and 50% off the retail price for all hardcovers and paperbacks priced at or over $20.00. Examination copies are limited to ten per teacher per school year and can only be mailed to valid U.S. addresses. To order, use the order form on the back of this catalog. Examination copies must be prepaid with a check, or money order made payable to Random House, Inc. or order online at www.randomhouse.com/academic/examcopy. Offer only valid in the United States. All requests are subject to approval and availability. Please allow 2–4 weeks for delivery.

Hardcover

Trade Paperback

Mass Market

NCR

No Canadian Rights

P.S.: Please do not hesitate to phone or e-mail me directly.

To order Audio books or e-books, visit our website at www.randomhouse.com

To find out more about how Random House, Inc. can help you once you’ve made your decision, please turn to page 79 of the catalog. Printed in the U.S.A.

JOKER ONE

Website: www.joker-one.com To view video of Donovan Campbell’s presentation at the 2009 First-Year Experience® conference in Orlando FL, go to: http://tinyurl.com/y8spg2a

A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood By Donovan Campbell ight after graduating from Princeton University, Donovan Campbell, motivated by his unwavering patriotism and deep sense of faith, decided to join the service, realizing that becoming a Marine officer would allow him to give Now in back to his country, engage in the world, and learn to Paperback lead. In this immediate, thrilling, and inspiring memoir, Campbell recounts a timeless and transcendent tale of brotherhood, courage, and sacrifice. When Campbell’s platoon, Joker One, deployed to Ramadi in the spring of 2004, they expected to build schools, train police, and make friends with the citizens. But soon, hundreds of hardcore insurgents launched simultaneous attacks on the Marine forces in Ramadi. Told by the man who led the unit of hard-pressed Marines, Joker One is a gripping tale of a leadership, loyalty, faith, and camaraderie throughout the best and worst of times.

“Campbell’s narrative humanized a war, and challenged me to critically examine the ideas of leadership and social responsibility; topics I thought I had a handle on prior to reading Joker One.” —Rachel Duff Anderson, Director of First-Year Experience, Siena Heights University “Donovan Campbell, first as a Marine and then as a writer, shows us that the dominant emotion in war isn’t hatred or anger or fear. It’s love. His story stands as a poignant tribute to his men—their courage, their dedication, their skill, and their love for one another, even unto death. This is a deeply moving book.” —Nathaniel Fick, The New York Times bestselling author of One Bullet Away

Random House | TR 978-0-8129-7956-5 | 336pp. $16.00/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Selected for Common Reading Siena Heights University

About the Author DONOVAN CAMPBELL graduated with honors from Princeton University and Harvard Business School, finished first in his class at the Marines’ Basic Officer Course, and served three combat deployments—two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon and a Bronze Star with Valor for his time in Iraq. He is now working for PepsiCo and living in Dallas, Texas, with his wife and daughter. He is the author of Joker One. Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN

Websites: www.ajournalforjordan.com/ • www.ajournalforjordan.com/blog/ Videos: http://tinyurl.com/ye88yp5 http://tinyurl.com/ydctpaw • http://tinyurl.com/yagkryf

A Story of Love and Honor By Dana Canedy

A 2009 New York Times Editors’ Choice “The cost of war is high, the greatest price paid by those left forever behind.” —Dana Canedy n 2005, First Sergeant Charles Monroe King began to write what would become a two-hundred-page journal for his son in case he did not make it home from the war in Iraq. He was killed by a roadside bomb on October 14, 2006. His son, Jordan, was seven months old. A Journal for Jordan is a mother’s letter to her son about the father he lost before he could even speak—including a fiercely honest account of her search for answers about Charles’s death. It is also a father’s advice and prayers for the son he will never know. Finally, this is the story of Dana and Charles together—two seemingly mismatched souls who loved each other deeply and lost each other too soon. A powerful selection for common reading programs, students will find this to be an inspiring and resonant memoir, as well as a compassionate introduction, a loving good-bye, a reporter’s inquiry into her soldier’s life, and a heartrending reminder of the human cost of the war in Iraq.

I Now in Paperback

“A hauntingly beautiful account of a family fractured by war.” —The New York Times Book Review Three Rivers Press | TR 978-0-307-39600-6 | 288pp. $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

“Canedy’s memoir speaks to military families everywhere . . . By openly and honestly revealing her side of their highly emotional story as well, by detailing the effects of his death on her and subsequent interactions with government brass about burial and benefits, for example . . . she gives the project a greater significance, making it especially relevant for and meaningful to countless others in similar situations.” —San Francisco Chronicle “This tragic story of love and war reminds all Americans that we are fortunate to have people like Sgt. Charles King, willing to die for our country. Dana Canedy bears witness to the enduring power of love, to Sgt. King’s heroism and his unfailing devotion to his family and his men.” —Caroline Kennedy

About the Author DANA CANEDY is a senior editor at the The New York Times, where she has been a journalist for twelve years. In 2001, she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for “How Race Is Lived in America,” a series on race relations in the United States. Raised near Fort Knox, she lives in New York City with her son, Jordan. 2

www.CommonReads.com

A MIGHTY LONG WAY My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School

To view video of Carlotta Walls LaNier’s presentation at the 2010 First-Year Experience® Conference in Denver, CO, go to: www.commonreads.com

By Carlotta Walls LaNier with Lisa Frazier Page Foreword by Bill Clinton

hen fourteen-year-old Carlotta Walls walked up the stairs of Little Rock Central High School on September 25, 1957, she and eight other black students only wanted to make it to class. But the journey of the “Little Rock NEW Nine,” as they came to be known, would lead the nation on an even longer and much more turbulent path, one that would challenge prevailing attitudes, break down barriers, and forever change the landscape of America. Complete with compelling photographs of the time, A Mighty Long Way shines a light on this watershed moment in civil rights history, and shows that determination, fortitude, and the ability to change the world are not exclusive to a few special people, but are inherent within us all.

“Carlotta Walls LaNier’s A Mighty Long Way is a riveting account of nine brave high school students and their families in a quest for quality desegregated public education. What happened in Little Rock in 1957 resulted in America’s greatest constitutional crisis since the Civil War. Carlotta’s account of events inside and outside Little Rock Central High School should be read and studied particularly by those who now walk through doors of opportunity which Carlotta and her schoolmates first opened over 50 years ago. When I started her book, I couldn’t put it down. It is a must-read.” —James L. “Skip” Rutherford III, Dean of University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service “Carlotta Walls LaNier was the youngest of the Little Rock 9 to cross the color lines, political barriers and cultural chasms that circumscribed her life. She, her family and friends paid a heavy price that burdened them even as it liberated all of us. Her memoir, which is really our memoir, provides a rare perspective on that history in the making.” —Hank Klibanoff, Pulitzer Prize winning co-author of The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of the Nation

One World | HC 978-0-345-51100-3 | 304pp. $26.00/$32.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Author Available • e-Book

Do not order paperback before 7/27/2010. One World | TR 978-0-345-51101-0 | 336pp. $16.00/$19.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

About the Author CARLOTTA WALLS LANIER attended Michigan State University and graduated from Colorado State College—now the University of Northern Colorado, on whose board of trustees she sits. After working for the YWCA, she founded her own real estate brokerage firm, LaNier and Company. A sought-after lecturer, LaNier speaks across the country, and has received the Congressional Medal of Honor and two honorary doctorate degrees. She is the mother of two children, Whitney and Brooke, and lives in Englewood, Colorado, with her husband, Ira. Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

FIROOZEH DUMAS was born in Abadan, Iran, and moved to California at the age of seven. After a two-year stay, she and her family moved back to Iran and resided in Ahvaz and Tehran. Two years later, Dumas returned to California, where she later attended the University of California, Berkeley. Her first book, Funny in Farsi, was a finalist for both the PEN/USA Award in 2004 and the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and has been adopted in junior high, high school, and college curricula throughout the nation. It has also been selected for several college, university, and One Book, One Community common reading programs.

LAUGHING WITHOUT AN ACCENT

Website: www.firoozehdumas.com

Adventures of a Global Citizen By Firoozeh Dumas n the bestselling memoir Funny in Farsi, Firoozeh Dumas recounted her adventures growing up Iranian American in Southern California. Now she again mines her rich Persian heritage in Laughing Without an Accent, sharing stories both tender and humorous on being a citizen of the world, on her well-meaning family, and on amusing cultural conundrums, all told with insights into the universality of the human condition. (Hint: It may have to do with brushing and flossing daily). With dry wit and a bold spirit, Dumas puts her own unique mark on the themes of family, community, and tradition. She braves the uncommon palate of her French-born husband and learns the nuances of having her book translated for Persian audiences (the censors edit out all references to ham). And along the way, she reconciles her beloved Iranian customs with her Western ideals. Moving and relevant, yet witty, Laughing Without an Accent shows how our differences can unite us—and provides indelible proof that Firoozeh Dumas is a humorist of the highest order.

Now in Paperback

Random House | TR 978-0-345-49957-8 | 240pp. $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

“There’s such warmth to Dumas’ writing that it invites the reader to pull up a seat at her table and smile right along with her at the quirks of her family and Iranians and Americans in general.” —Booklist “These stories, like everything Firoozeh Dumas writes, are charming, highly amusing vignettes of family life. Dumas is one of those rare people—a naturally gifted storyteller.” —Alexander McCall Smith “Humorous without being sentimental, [Dumas] speaks to the American experience.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer Selected for Common Reading University of Minnesota, Duluth

www.CommonReads.com

Stephanie Rausser

Author Spotlight: Firoozeh Dumas

A Message from Firoozeh Dumas Since 2003, over two dozen communities and schools have chosen my book, Funny in Farsi, for their common read. I have had the pleasure to visit and talk with most of them and I have been deeply honored and humbled to find that my book has been engaging and appealing to such a wide range of readers, whether in a high school, college, library, or community center. But all of this has made me pause and wonder: why my book? Funny in Farsi is a collection of short, humorous stories about my growing up Iranian in America. The book tells a story unique to my experience but, ultimately, the book is really about shared humanity. When I set out to write the book, my one goal was, and remains, that every reader— regardless of age, background, or color—come away from it with the idea that our commonalities far outweigh our differences. I hope that this bit of knowledge encourages people to talk to one another knowing that the commonalities are there; we just have to look for them. And that begins with a conversation. So many readers tell me that my family reminds them of their own family and that my values and experiences, both positive and negative, resonate with them. I heard this at Gallaudet University where many students are deaf; I heard this in rural Maine where many people had never met a Middle Easterner; and I hear this at every school, library and community center where I speak. It is within this context that people talk about my book across generations and across racial lines. I see people united in conversation, not by American Idol, but by my family stories. My book becomes their springboard to share ideas and engage in discussion about their lives as well as contemporary issues. Even though my stories are about an Iranian family, they are really about being an outsider. And who among us has not experienced being an outsider? If you’ve gone through the awkward stages of puberty, entered college as an anxious freshman, or have undergone a life transition at any age, you’ve been there. So I invite you to give my book a read, and consider it for use in your common reading program. Please know that both a Discussion and Teacher’s Guide are available, as is an audio edition of the book. I truly look forward to the opportunity to come to your school, community or library (please contact Steven Barclay at steven@barclayagency.com to schedule an appearance). In these of all times, it gives me great satisfaction to know that one little book can create a little more understanding and knowledge in the world—and perhaps also make us laugh as well. In the meantime, keep reading!

FUNNY IN FARSI A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America Funny in Farsi chronicles the American journey of Firoozeh Dumas’s wonderfully engaging family which moved from Iran to Southern California in the 1970s, arriving with no firsthand knowledge of this country. “What’s charming beyond the humor of this memoir is that it remains affectionate even in the weakest, most tenuous moments for the culture. It’s the brilliance of true sophistication at work.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review Selected for Common Reading at more than 20 colleges. For complete listing, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yepymcf Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-6837-8 | 208pp. | $12.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

Author Spotlight: Tracy Kidder TRACY KIDDER graduated from Harvard, studied at the University of Iowa, and served as an army officer in Vietnam. He has won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Award, and many other literary prizes. He lives in Massachusetts and Maine.

STRENGTH IN WHAT REMAINS By Tracy Kidder

Website: www.tracykidder.com/ To view video of Tracy Kidder’s presentation at the 2009 First-Year Experience® conference in Orlando, FL, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yaud5t6

Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award racy Kidder, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of the college common reading program classic, Mountains Beyond Mountains, has been described by the Baltimore Sun as the “master of the nonfiction narrative.” In this new book, Kidder gives us the superb story of a hero for our time. Deo arrives in America from Burundi in search of a new life. Having survived a civil war and genocide, and plagued by horrific dreams, he lands at JFK airport with 200 dollars, no knowledge of English, and no contacts. He ekes out a precarious existence delivering groceries, living in Central Park, and learning English by reading dictionaries in bookstores. Then Deo begins to meet the strangers who will change his life, eventually pointing him in the direction of Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted to healing. With Strength in What Remains, Kidder breaks new ground in telling this unforgettable story as he travels back with Deo over a turbulent life in search of meaning and forgiveness.

NEW

“That 63-year-old Tracy Kidder may have just written his finest work—indeed, one of the truly stunning books I’ve read this year—is proof that the secret to memorable nonfiction is so often the writer’s readiness to be surprised. Deo’s experience can feel like this era’s version of the Ellis Island migration. Deo is propelled, so often, by pure will, and his victories . . . summon a feeling of restored confidence in human nature and American opportunity. Then we plunge into hell. Having only glimpses of Deo’s past, we suddenly get a full-blown portrait. Kidder’s rendering of what Deo endured and survived just before he boarded the plane for New York is one of the most powerful passages of modern nonfiction.” —Ron Suskind, The New York Times Book Review “Tracy Kidder's new book Strength in What Remains is . . . narrative infused with a broad, universal appeal and occasional touches of brilliance. He offers us fine prose, complex characters, and realistic portrayals. Deo’s resilience, his struggle to overcome adversity strikes a chord in all of us. His story reaffirms our hope that one person can make a difference . . . [T]his book is one not to be missed.” —Seattle Times

www.CommonReads.com

MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World By Tracy Kidder

An ALA Notable Book; A New York Times Notable Book A Popular College Common Reading Selection* n medical school, Paul Farmer found his life’s calling: to cure infectious diseases and bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. Tracy Kidder’s magnificent account shows how one person can make a difference in solving global health problems through a cleareyed understanding of the interaction of politics, wealth, social systems, and disease. Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Kidder tells the true story of medical genius Paul Farmer and shows how one person can effect global progress against seemingly impossible problems—TB, AIDS, poverty—with creativity, knowledge and determination. Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that “the only real nation is humanity”—a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb, “Beyond mountains there are mountains”: as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.

“Kidder, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, writes clearly and engagingly. . . . This book is being widely used in freshman seminars at colleges across the United States, and it will likely stir debates on such wide-ranging issues as the politics of health care, the role of government funding, and ethics. Highly recommended.” —Choice (American Library Association)

Random House | TR 978-0-8129-7301-3 | 336pp. $15.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book Teacher’s Guide

*Selected for Common Reading at over 100 Colleges and Universities. Go to http://tinyurl.com/yejrxpw to view the list of schools.

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

Author Spotlight: Azar Nafisi AZAR NAFISI is a professor at Johns Hopkins University. She won a fellowship from Oxford and taught English literature at the University of Tehran, the Free Islamic University, and Allameh Tabatabai University in Iran. She was expelled from the University of Tehran for refusing to wear the veil and left Iran for America in 1997. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic, and is the author of Anti-Terra: A Critical Study of Vladimir Nabokov’s Novels.

THINGS I’VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT

Website: www.azarnafisi.com

Memories of a Prodigal Daughter By Azar Nafisi zar Nafisi, author of the beloved international bestseller, Reading Lolita in Tehran, now gives us a stunning personal story of growing up in Iran, filled with memories of her life lived in thrall to a powerful and complex mother, and set against the background of a country’s political revolution. A girl’s pain over family secrets; a young woman’s discovery of the power of sensuality in literature; the price a family pays for freedom in a country beset by political upheaval—these and other threads are woven together in this beautiful memoir, as a gifted storyteller once again transforms the way we see the world and “reminds us of why we read in the first place” (Newsday). Reaching back in time to reflect on other generations in the Nafisi family, Things I’ve Been Silent About is also a powerful historical portrait of a family that spans many periods of change leading up to the Islamic Revolution of 1978–79, which turned Azar Nafisi’s beloved Iran into a religious dictatorship. Writing of her mother’s historic term in Parliament, even while her father—once mayor of Tehran— was in jail, Nafisi explores the remarkable “coffee hours” her mother presided over, where at first women came together to gossip, to tell fortunes, and to give silent acknowledgment of things never spoken about, and which then evolved into gatherings where men and women would meet to openly discuss the unfolding revolution.

Now in Paperback

Random House | TR 978-0-8129-7390-7 | 368pp. $16.00/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

“Deeply felt . . . an affecting account of a family’s struggle.” —The New York Times “A gifted storyteller with a mastery of Western literature, Nafisi knows how to use language both to settle scores and to seduce.” —The New York Times Book Review “An immensely rewarding and beautifully written act of courage, by turns amusing, tender and obsessively dogged.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

www.CommonReads.com

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN A Memoir in Books By Azar Nafisi

very Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi’s living room risked removing their veils, and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. For two years before she left Iran in 1997, Nafisi gathered seven young women at her house every Thursday morning to read and discuss forbidden works of Western literature. They were all former students whom she had taught at university. Some came from conservative and religious families, others were progressive and secular, and several had spent time in jail. They were shy and uncomfortable at first, unaccustomed to being asked to speak their minds, but soon they began to open up and to speak more freely, not only about the novels they were reading but also about themselves, their dreams and disappointments. Their stories intertwined with the stories they were reading—Pride and Prejudice, Washington Square, Daisy Miller and Lolita—their Lolita, as they imagined her in Tehran. Reading Lolita in Tehran flashes back to the early days of the revolution, when Nafisi first started teaching at the University of Tehran amid the swirl of protests and demonstrations. In those frenetic days, the students took control of the university, expelled faculty members, and purged the curriculum. When a radical Islamist in Nafisi’s class questioned her decision to teach The Great Gatsby, which he saw as an immoral work that preached falsehoods of “the Great Satan,” she decided to let him put Gatsby on trial and stood as the sole witness for the defense. Azar Nafisi’s story offers a fascinating portrait of the Iran-Iraq war viewed from Tehran and gives us a rare glimpse, from the inside, of the lives of women in revolutionary Iran. It is a work of great passion, written with a startlingly original voice.

Random House | TR 978-0-8129-7106-4 | 384pp. $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

Selected for Common Reading Ashland University Ithaca College Sweet Briar College (VA)

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

Author Spotlight: Sonia Nazario SONIA NAZARIO has spent 20 years reporting and writing about social issues, most recently as a projects reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her stories have tackled some of this country’s most intractable problems: hunger, drug addiction, immigration. She has won numerous national journalism and book awards. Nazario is a graduate of Williams College and has a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

ENRIQUE’S JOURNEY

Website: www.enriquesjourney.com

The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother By Sonia Nazario A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age A Popular Common Reading Selection* hen Enrique was just five years old, his mother, Lourdes, seeing no other way out of their poverty in Honduras, decided to make the hazardous trek north. Enrique and his siblings struggled without their mother, until he finally made his way from the rough streets of Tegucigalpa through Mexico and across the dangerous Texan border. Journalist Sonia Nazario’s expert reporting allows students to encounter each setback alongside Enrique, and the result is as suspenseful and harrowing as it is informative. Enrique’s Journey is a timely account of one anguished family’s experience with an issue of international scope and urgency— illegal immigration—but it is also a timeless, mythic story of a dangerous journey undertaken to make a broken family whole.

“This portrait of poverty and family ties has the potential to reshape American conversations about immigration.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Random House | TR 978-0-8129-7178-1 | 336pp. $14.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

*Selected for Common Reading at more than 20 Colleges and One Book, One City Programs. Go to http://tinyurl.com/ye3a7xj to view the list of schools

www.CommonReads.com

“A stirring and troubling book about a magnificent journey . . . Joseph Campbell would recognize Enrique’s Journey. It’s the stuff of myth . . . [but] Enrique’s Journey is true. . . . A microcosm of the massive exodus pouring over the borders of our nations . . . Enrique’s suffering and bravery become universal, and one cannot fail to be moved by the desperation and sheer strength of spirit that guides these lonely wanderers. . . . Enrique’s Journey is about love. It’s about family. It’s about home. . . . The border will continue to trouble the dreams of anyone who is paying attention . . . . Enrique’s Journey is among the best border books yet written.” —The Washington Post Book World “Gripping and harrowing . . . a story begging to be told . . . readers fed up with the ongoing turf wars between fact and fiction, take note: Here is fantastic stunt reporting that places this sometimes hard-to-believe story squarely in the realm of nonfiction.” —The Christian Science Monitor

A Message from Sonia Nazario President Obama has vowed that in 2010, he will put immigration reform on the front burner. That means that student interest in Enrique’s Journey, already made freshman read by 27 colleges and universities, will no doubt increase in the year to come. In the fall of 2009, I traveled to nearly 20 colleges and universities to talk with students about Enrique’s Journey. These visits led to incredibly interesting and moving encounters with students who reveal different responses to my book. Many non-Latino students tell me they had no real concept of the poverty that pushes many migrants out of places like Honduras. They say they find the story of what Enrique and other migrant children are willing to do to reach the U.S. not only moving, but instructive, forcing them to re-evaluate the values they were raised with about immigrants. One African American student in Chicago told me how her grandmother had moved from Mississippi to Illinois and left her children behind, an experience common among African American women leaving the South. She said the book gave her a deeper bond with people south of the border. Often Mexican American students tell me they have a better understanding of the tensions between Mexicans and Central Americans in the U.S. The most moving responses, however, are from Latino students who say this is the first book where they could see some glimmer of their own lives and experiences. They—or someone in their family—made the journey to the U.S. on top of freight trains, or were separated from parents in the process of coming to the U.S. Immigrant students—whether from China, Russia, or Poland—told me they lived with these separations as well. What has been most promising is to see students’ clear desire to act to try to alleviate the situation I describe in Enrique’s Journey. As one UNC—Greensboro student put it so beautifully, when the U.S. decided to put a man on the moon, they said it would take 10 years. It actually took just eight years. Some of the astronauts on that moon mission were 18 years old when the commitment by the U.S. was first made. “I’m 18,” he told me. “If we can put a man on the moon in less than 10 years, surely we can make progress in helping to create jobs in Latin America in the next decade.” The woman who administers the freshman read program at Northern Arizona University said Enrique’s Journey appealed to her and worked for many reasons: It appealed to both male and female students. The protagonist is close to the students’ age. The book, she said, is a compelling read that broadens students’ awareness of cultures not their own. Simply, it is about a hot current issue. The administration and faculty liked that Enrique’s Journey addressed certain themes: survival, community, education, family, diversity, racism, violence, drugs, redemption, foreign relations, politics, and the immigration issue. They also liked that it touches on emotions some first year students might be dealing with, such as loneliness, connection to family, and the temptation to succumb to violence and drugs. What I have enjoyed most about my discussions at these universities is that it has taken a highly polarizing issue, an important issue, and forced students to see it in a nuanced way. Because for me, even as we head into renewed and heated debates about immigration, this is an issue with many shades of gray best explored through research, reflection and, most importantly, conversation.

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

Author Spotlight: John Elder Robison JOHN ELDER ROBISON lives with his wife and son in Amherst, Massachusetts. His company, JE Robison Service, repairs and restores fine European automobiles.

LOOK ME IN THE EYE My Life with Asperger’s By John Elder Robison

Websites: www.johnrobison.com • www.jerobison.blogspot.com www.robisonservice.blogspot.com • @johnrobison on Twitter To view video of John Elder Robison’s presentation at the 2009 First-Year Experience® conference in Orlando FL, go to: http://tinyurl.com/y8nrzbu

ver since he was a child, John Robison longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label, “social deviant.” No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on. Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger’s at a time when the diagnosis simply didn’t exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as “defective,” who could not avail himself of KISS’s endless supply of groupies (he toured with the band as tech support), and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people’s given names (he calls his wife, “Unit Two”). He also provides a fascinating reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their nutty parents—the boy who would later change his name to Augusten Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir, Running with Scissors. Ultimately, this is the story of Robison’s journey from his world into ours, and of his new life as a husband, father, and successful small business owner—repairing his beloved highend automobiles. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account— sometimes alien, yet always deeply human.

Three Rivers Press | TR 978-0-307-39618-1 | 320pp. $14.95/$16.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book Teacher’s Guide

Selected for Common Reading Defiance College SUNY Potsdam

“There’s an endearing quality to Robison and his story that transcends the “Scissors” connection . . . Look Me in the Eye is often drolly funny and seldom angry or self-pitying. Even when describing his fear that he’d grow up to be a sociopathic killer, Robison brings a light touch to what could be construed as dark subject matter . . . Robison is also a natural storyteller and engaging conversationalist.” —The Boston Globe “Robison’s memoir is must reading for its unblinking (as only an Aspergian can) glimpse into the life of a person who had to wait decades for the medical community to catch up with him.” —Booklist “Well-written and fascinating.” —Library Journal

www.CommonReads.com

A Message from John Elder Robison Thanks for considering Look Me in the Eye for your school reading program. I am truly honored by all the schools that have taken up my story as a teaching tool. Seeing that, I have worked hard to develop supporting materials to help teachers integrate my writing into their programs. The paperback edition of my book has been revised for younger readers, and it includes a new postscript and reading group guide. Those changes were a good start, but many teachers asked for more, and we’ve responded . . . . This fall we published a comprehensive Teacher’s Guide, available for free download from the Random House website: http://tinyurl.com/ydragzy. The guide was created by the students and staff of Houston’s Monarch School, with a little help from me. Monarch is a nationally recognized school for kids with neurological differences, including Asperger’s. They’ve done a fine job, with chapter by chapter discussion, sample questions, and more. I have also developed a graduate course on my book and the Asperger mind. This one-day credit course will help you understand Asperger’s, and integrate the ideas expressed in Look Me in the Eye into middle and high school curriculums. “The Asperger Mind” is offered through Elms College in Chicopee, MA, and it will also be available online for fall 2010. Finally, I am available to conduct workshops and talks in schools. I love talking to young people, teachers, and parents. It’s important to show kids that different is not always disabled, and it is possible to build a good life in the face of adversity. You can view video from my talks on my website, www.johnrobison.com. My events are scheduled by The Lavin Agency.

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

Author Spotlight: Warren St. John WARREN ST. JOHN is a reporter for The New York Times and the author of the national bestseller Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer.

OUTCASTS UNITED An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference

Website: www.outcastsunited.com/ To view video of author discussion with educators, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yegm5jj

By Warren St. John utcasts United is the story of a refugee soccer team, a remarkable woman coach, and a small southern town turned upside down by the process of refugee resettlement. In the 1990s, that town, Clarkston, Georgia, became a resettlement center for refugees and a modern-day Ellis Island for scores of families from war zones in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The town also became home to Luma Mufleh, an American-educated Jordanian woman who founded a youth soccer team to help keep Clarkston’s boys off the streets. These boys named themselves the Fugees—short for refugees. Outcasts United follows a pivotal season in the lives of the Fugees, their families, and their charismatic coach, as they struggle to build new lives in a fading town overwhelmed by change. Theirs is a story about resilience in the face of extraordinary hardship, the power of one person to make a difference, and the daunting challenge of creating community in a place where people seem to have so little in common.

Now in Paperback

Spiegel & Grau | TR 978-0-385-52204-5 | 336pp. $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book Teacher’s Guide

Selected for Common Reading Agnes Scott College Georgia Tech University Johnson State College McMurry University Middle Tennessee State University St. Catherine’s School, Richmond, VA One Book, One San Diego “A Tale for Two Cities,” Bloomington-Normal IL Roswell Reads, GA

www.CommonReads.com

“Not merely about soccer, St. John’s book teaches readers about the social and economic difficulties of adapting to a new culture and the challenges facing a town with a new and disparate population. Despite their cultural and religious differences and the difficulty of adaptation, the Fugees came together to play soccer. This wonderful, poignant book is highly recommended . . . ” —Library Journal, starred review A “richly detailed, uplifting account of a young Jordanian immigrant who created a soccer program in Georgia for young refugees from war-torn nations . . . educational and enriching.” —Kirkus Reviews

A Message from Warren St. John For the better part of a hundred years, Clarkston, Georgia—a community of 7,100 on one square mile of land east of downtown Atlanta—was a mostly white town where little of interest happened. In the early 1990’s, the town was designated as a resettlement center for refugees from around the world, and refugees poured in from Southeast Asia, the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East. In less than a decade, little Clarkston, Georgia transformed into one of the most diverse communities in the country. Outcasts United is the story of this town, told through the lens of a soccer team of refugee boys called the Fugees, a team founded and coached by an American-educated, Jordanianborn volunteer named Luma Mufleh. The team and its remarkable coach ultimately provide the rest of us with powerful lessons about how to create community in places where everyone is different. The Fugees are a paradigm of the modern-day freshman class or student body. A group of boys from an extraordinary range of backgrounds have come together in a new place and face the challenge of forging alliances and creating a new community. But through lessons taught by the coach and derived from their own experiences, the boys manage to identify common goals that override their significant cultural differences. A nuanced and realistic approach to discussing diversity. The drama of the Fugees’ soccer season offers a way into a more complex and nuanced discussion about diversity that is not doctrinaire or simplistic. The book does not gloss over the challenges posed by diverse communities, but does offer positive, real-world examples in which people in Clarkston have turned diversity into an asset. Expands students’ horizons. Though set in Clarkston, Georgia, Outcasts United traces the origins of the conflicts that caused the refugees of Clarkston to flee their homes in the first place, in order to contextualize the refugee experience. Students learn about conflicts in Liberia, Bosnia and Kosovo, Burundi and Congo, among others. In addition, students gain valuable insights into the struggle of other young people to assimilate into a new culture. The importance and rewards of service. The example of Coach Luma proves the adage that one person can make a difference. With no formal training in social work and with little outside support, she identified a profound local need and single-handedly took the initiative to help meet it. In the process, she found herself with a new family that valued and appreciated her for her efforts and kindness. Strong female role model. Luma herself offers a powerful role-model for female students. A lone female coach in a league of male coaches, she is determined—sometimes stubborn— clever and, above all, passionate on behalf of her players and their families. And through force-of-will she takes on local prejudices and political intransigence that works against the refugees. Having already been selected by several universities and communities within just the first year of its publication, Outcasts United has already spoken to thousands of students. I hope to have the opportunity to bring the book’s message to your school as well.

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

Author Spotlight: Ron Suskind RON SUSKIND is a former staff writer for the Wall Street Journal. In 1995, he won the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing for a two-part series about Cedric Jennings’ high school years. He lives in Washington, D.C.

A HOPE IN THE UNSEEN An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League

Website: www.ronsuskind.com

By Ron Suskind A Popular Common Reading Selection* t is 1993, and Cedric Jennings is a bright and ferociously determined honor student at Ballou, a high school in one of Washington, D.C.’s most dangerous neighborhoods, where the dropout rate is well into double digits and just 80 students out of more than 1,350 boast an average of B or better. At Ballou, Cedric has almost no friends. He eats lunch in a classroom most days, plowing through the extra work he has asked for, knowing that he’s really competing with kids from other, harder schools. Cedric Jennings’ driving ambition—which is fully supported by his forceful mother—is to attend a topflight college. In September 1995, after years of near superhuman dedication, he realizes that ambition when he begins as a freshman at Brown University. In this updated edition, A Hope in the Unseen chronicles Cedric’s odyssey during his last two years of high school, follows him through his difficult first year at Brown, and now tells the story of his subsequent successes in college and the working world.

*Selected for Common Reading Broadway | TR 978-0-7679-0126-0 | 384pp. $15.95/$23.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • Teacher’s Guide

Carleton College Eastern Illinois University Eastern Kentucky University Florida State University Kent State University Marquette University Marymount University Sacred Heart University St. Bonaventure University Texas Tech University University of Illinois at Chicago University of Louisville University of North Dakota University of Texas at San Antonio Utah State University Maryland, State-wide Read

www.CommonReads.com

Excerpt The next morning blooms into a radiant, cloudless day, as it ought to be. Freshmen arrive for orientation, ferried by a grand procession of proud parents. Barbara, tired from the drive, gets a late start and, before long, the day feels harried. It’s nearly noon by the time they get to College Hill, a steep slope on top of which Brown sits like a cloud city above the gritty ethnic enclaves, legendary Italian restaurants, and aging factories of Providence. “I wanted to get this all done early. Now look,” she says, sitting in the van near the Brown student union as Cedric, looking at a checklist in his orientation packet, slips out to go get his temporary student ID. “Don’t be all day, Lavar,” she calls after him, all business, “I gotta get back home.” Cedric has drawn a desirable dorm, Andrews Hall. It’s a three-story brick horseshoe on the quieter Pembroke side of campus that was renovated over the summer and now boasts fresh carpeting and new paint. From the Andrews parking lot, they unload the van swiftly, with Cedric helping on this end. While Barbara glances tersely at other parents—mostly white, of course—unloading Lexuses and Range Rovers and Volvo wagons, she notices that Cedric seems to be increasingly relaxed—smiling at some of the other incoming freshmen and offering unsolicited greetings. “These dorms are nice,” Barbara notes over her shoulder to Cedric, who is dragging a trunk full of linens behind her across the second-floor hallway carpet. Remembering Cedric’s complaints about last summer’s dorms, she adds, “And a lot nicer than MIT, ain’t it?” “Lot nicer,” he says, almost shouting. “This place is nothing like MIT.” A small paper square taped to the door of room 216 says “Cedric Lavar Jennings and Robert Burton.” Cedric fumbles with the key and opens the heavy wooden door. “Wow,” he says. “Hmmm, very nice,” Barbara confirms. Excerpted from A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind Copyright © 1998 by Ron Suskind. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Praise for A Hope in the Unseen “Ron Suskind takes us on an unforgettable, peculiarly American journey—a journey which exposes the fault lines of race and class, and yet gives one reason for hope. This is a tale of fierce power—and one which stayed with me long after finishing the book.” —Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here and The Other Side of the River “Suskind uses his reporter skills brilliantly, portraying Cedric’s outer and inner life and making an eloquent though unstated plea for affirmative action. Essential reading that provides some small hope for our social ills.” —Library Journal (starred review) “The drama of the story is in the mediations Cedric learns to make between the inherited and the chosen, yet ‘unseen’ parts of his life.” —Kirkus Reviews “A beautiful book of a heroic American struggle.” —David Halberstam in USA Today “[An] extraordinary, formula-shattering book.” —The New York Times Book Review “A story of sheer human grit that should be read by others as example and inspiration.” —Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World “Absolutely gripping. A sort of suspense novel of the human psyche. . . . It’s beyond good, it’s really extraordinary.” —Walter Kirn, National Public Radio

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

STREET SHADOWS A Memoir of Race, Rebellion, and Redemption By Jerald Walker

erald Walker was born in a Chicago housing project and raised, along with his six brothers and sisters, by blind parents of modest means but middle-class aspirations. A boy of great promise, whose parents and teachers saw success in his future, Jerald seemed destined to fulfill their hopes. But by age fourteen, like so many of his friends, he found himself drawn to the streets. By age 17, he was a school dropout, a drug addict, and a gangbanger. And then came the blast of gunfire that changed everything: His drug-dealing friend, Greg, was shot to death—less than an hour after Walker scored drugs from him. Here, told in alternating time frames, is the story of the journey that Walker took to become the man he is today—a husband, father, teacher, and writer. Masterfully told, marked by irony and humor as well as outrage and a barely contained sadness, it is the story of a young man’s descent into the “thug life” and the wake-up call that led him to find himself again. An eloquent account of how the past shadows but need not determine the present, it is also a stirring portrait of two Americas—one hopeless, the other inspirational—embodied within one man.

J NEW

Bantam | HC 978-0-553-80755-4 | 256pp. $25.00/$29.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Author Available • e-book

“What a powerful read. From the very first sentence we begin this incredible journey with this young man into himself . . . and the world around him. We laugh, we certainly tighten up at times, we hope and we do indeed cheer for a happy ending. I feel as if I know Jerald Walker not just through his words but through his heart. This is a must read for everyone who cares about the questions and the quest that being a human requires.” —Nikki Giovanni “Street Shadows is a powerful memoir narrated through colorful and moving stories. The movement of the memoir traces the narrator’s life through delinquency, drug use, family tensions and family tragedies and adds real emotional muscle to the voice.” —James Alan McPherson, author of Elbow Room

About the Author JERALD WALKER is an associate professor of English at Bridgewater State College. Married and the father of two young sons, he lives in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. His work has appeared in The Best American Essays (2007 and 2009), Best African American Essays (2009 and 2010), the anthology Brothers: 26 Stories of Love and Rivalry, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Missouri Review, The Iowa Review, and Mother Jones, for which he profiled Chicago’s South Side. 18

www.CommonReads.com

Author Spotlight: Barack Obama BARACK OBAMA is the President of the United States and the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.

DREAMS FROM MY FATHER A Story of Race and Inheritance By Barack Obama Dreams from My Father is the best-selling book by President Barack Obama. In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. “Fluidly, calmly, insightfully, Obama guides us straight to the intersection of the most serious questions of identity, class, and race.” —The Washington Post Book World Selected for Common Reading Augustana College Boston College California State University—Eastbay Elmhurst College LaGuardia Community College Quinnipiac University Southern Methodist University University of Illinois at Chicago University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Washington Xavier University of Louisiana

Three Rivers Press | TR 978-1-4000-8277-3 | 480pp. $14.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

THE AUDACITY OF HOPE Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream By Barack Obama Echoing themes he sounded in his extraordinary keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Senator Barack Obama, and now President-elect, speaks in this book to Americans of all stripes who are weary of U.S. politics today, and who long for something rooted in the faith and decency of the American Dream. “An upbeat view of the country’s potential and a political biography that concentrates on the Senator’s core values.” —Chicago Tribune

Selected for Common Reading Endicott College New York Institute of Technology

Three Rivers Press | TR 978-0-307-23770-5 | 384pp. $14.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

New

MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION

Website: www.buzzaldrin.com

The Long Journey Home from the Moon By Buzz Aldrin and Ken Abraham The flight of Apollo 11 made Buzz Aldrin one of the most famous people on our planet, yet few people know the rest of this true American hero’s story. In Magnificent Desolation, Aldrin not only gives us a harrowing first-person account of the lunar landing that came within seconds of failure, but also opens up with remarkable candor about his more personal trials—and eventual triumphs—back on Earth. Harmony | HC | 978-0-307-46345-6 | 336pp. | $27.00/$33.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.50 Do not order paperback before 5/11/2010. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-46346-3 | 336pp. | $16.00/$19.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

March 2010

I AM NUJOOD, AGE 10 AND DIVORCED By Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui “I’m a simple village girl whose family had to move to the capital, and I have always obeyed the orders of the men in my family. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to everything. Today, I have decided to say no . . . ” In 2008, Nujood Ali was only nine years old when her parents married her off to a man in his thirties. At the age of ten years old she was the first child bride in Yemen to win a divorce, breaking with the tribal tradition. Written with childlike simplicity and a penetrating honesty, I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, an international bestselling memoir, is at once shocking and inspiring, disturbing and redemptive. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-58967-5 | 208pp. | $12.00/$15.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

Now in Paperback

ESCAPE FROM SADDAM The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Journey to Freedom By Lewis Alsamari Born in Iraq but raised in England, 12-year-old Lewis Alsamari accompanied his father to Iraq for what was supposed to be a one-month vacation. Six years later, Lewis was still trapped in Iraq and, worse yet, had been conscripted to Saddam Hussein’s military. Risking his life, he escaped across the desert to Jordan, where he saved for passage back to England. However, his story did not end there. After reestablishing himself in England, he received notice that the family he’d left behind in Iraq was being imprisoned, beaten, and tortured for his desertion, and he had to embark on another dangerous journey to free them. Escape from Saddam is a remarkable story of heroism sure to inform and inspire. “A hair-raising and sensitively wrought tale of an Iraqi soldier. . . . A sharply delineated personal account charged with great emotional power.” —Kirkus Reviews Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-39402-6 | 320pp. | $13.95/$15.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS

Website: www.mayaangelou.com

By Maya Angelou “Students [. . .] find this book plunges them into a passionate, sensitive life in the midst of troubled and sometimes brutal realities. They found Maya Angelou’s spirit and strength a wellspring of pride in womanhood. Students also experienced the book as writers themselves and learned much about the memoir craft.” —Constance Berman, Director of Professional Studies, Southern Vermont College Selected for Common Reading at Berry College and Luther College. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-8002-8 | 304pp. | $17.00/$20.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

www.CommonReads.com

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Now in Paperback Website: www.mayaangelou.com

LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER By Maya Angelou

For a world of devoted readers, here is a much-awaited new volume of absorbing stories and inspirational wisdom from one of our best-loved writers. Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter reveals Maya Angelou’s path to living well and living a life with meaning. Told in her own inimitable style, this book transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight. “A slim volume packed with nourishing nuggets of wisdom. . . . Overarching each brief chapter is the vital energy of a woman taking life’s measure with every step.” —Kirkus Reviews “Spellbinding . . . Angelou delivers with her signature passion and fire. . . . Each [essay] delivers a powerful message.” —Rocky Mountain News Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-8003-5 | 192pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

AMERICAN CHICA: Two Worlds, One Childhood By Marie Arana 2001 National Book Award Finalist—Non-Fiction Library Journal Best Books of 2001—Non-Fiction A New York Times Nonfiction Notable Book

Written in the tradition of Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez, this is an informative and resonant portrait of a child coming to terms with her bicultural identity. Throughout, Arana provides an unforgettable look at her two worlds: the diverse terrain of Peru, redolent with ghosts of Incan history and mythology; and the vast prairie lands of Wyoming. “The top rank of memoir. . . . Arana’s writing skills elevate the book to outright lyricism in chapter after chapter.” —The Denver Post Delta | TR | 978-0-385-31963-8 | 320pp. | $14.00/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

Now in Paperback

TEARS OF THE DESERT: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur By Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis Born to an affluent family, Halima Bashir was lucky enough to get an education. Returning to Darfur as a doctor was supposed to be the beginning of a time of prosperity; then the Janjaweed came. The Sudanese-backed militias raped and tortured the women of Halima’s village, and when she spoke up against it, she was raped and tortured, herself. Having fled the massacre of her family and friends, Halima can now tell her story and give students a glimpse into the genocide and suffering that is often overlooked or unknown by so many. One World | TR | 978-0-345-51046-4 | 352pp. | $16.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

New

THE TIES THAT BIND

Website: www.berticeberry.com

A Memoir of Race, Memory, and Redemption By Bertice Berry In this poignant, reflective memoir, Berry skillfully relays the evolution of relations between the races, from slavery to Reconstruction, from the struggles of the Civil Rights movement and the Black Power 1970s, and on to the present day. In doing so, she sheds light on a picture of the past that not only liberates but also unites and evokes the need to forgive and be forgiven. “Berry continues to demonstrate an uncanny aptitude for weaving African American history into entertaining, empowering stories both fictional and personal.” —Kirkus Reviews Broadway | HC | 978-0-7679-2414-6 | 224pp. | $23.95/$27.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.00 Author Available • e-Book

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Now in Paperback

A LION CALLED CHRISTIAN

Website: www.alioncalledchristian.com

The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion By Anthony Bourke and John Rendall Foreword by George Adamson In 2008, an extraordinary two-minute film clip appeared on YouTube and immediately became an international phenomenon. It captures the moving reunion of two young men and their pet lion, Christian, after they had left him in Africa with Born Free’s George Adamson to introduce him into his rightful home in the wild. Originally published in 1971, and now fully revised and updated with more than 50 photographs of Christian from cuddly cub in London to magnificent lion in Africa, A Lion Called Christian is a touching and uplifting true story of an indelible human-animal bond. It is destined to become one of the great classics of animal literature. Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-3237-0 | 256pp. | $12.99/$15.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

I’M LOOKING THROUGH YOU: Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir By Jennifer Finney Boylan

Website: jenniferboylan.net

For Jennifer Boylan, the bestselling author of She’s Not There, creaking stairs, fleeting images in the mirror, and the remote whisper of human voices were everyday events in the Pennsylvania house in which she grew up in the 1970s. Looking back on the spirits who invaded her family home, Boylan launches a full investigation with the help of a group of earnest, if questionable, ghostbusters. She also examines the ways we find connections between the people we once were and the people we become, and shows us how love, forgiveness, and humor help us find peace—with our ghosts, with our loved ones, and with the uncanny boundaries, real and imagined, between men and women. Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-2175-6 | 288pp. | $14.95/$16.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

SHE’S NOT THERE: A Life in Two Genders

Website: jenniferboylan.net

By Jennifer Finney Boylan She’s Not There is the unconventional memoir of a person who changes genders, a portrait of a loving marriage that withstands a radical change, and a revealing look at society’s folly in over-emphasizing the importance of fixed gender roles. “Beautifully crafted, fearless, painfully honest, inspiring and extremely witty. Jennifer Finney Boylan is an exquisite writer with a fascinating story and this combination has resulted in one of the most remarkable, moving, and unforgettable memoirs in recent history.” —Augusten Burroughs, author of Running With Scissors Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-1429-1 | 320pp. | $14.95/$22.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

GOD GREW TIRED OF US: A Memoir By John Bul Dau and Michael Sweeney

Website: www.johndaufoundation.org

This unforgettable book is the first-person account of a miracle—indeed, a whole series of miracles. One of the uprooted youngsters known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, John Bul Dau, was 12 years old when civil war ravaged his village and shattered its age-old society, a life of herding and agriculture marked by dignity, respect, and the simple virtues of Dinka tribal tradition. As tracer bullets split the night and mortar shells exploded around him, John fled into the darkness—the first terrified moments of a journey that would lead him thousands of miles into an exile that was to last many years. God Grew Tired of Us is ultimately a searing account of hardship, famine, and war that testifies to human resilience and kindness. Selected for Common Reading at Cazenovia College, Otis College of Art and Design, and Graceland College (IA). National Geographic | TR 978-1-4262-0212-4 | 304pp. | $14.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Now in Paperback

THE BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood By Ta-Nehisi Coates This evocative memoir of family and growing up in the tough, violent world of Baltimore in the 1980s chronicles the relationship between the author and his father, a Vietnam vet and Black Panther affiliate. “Ta-Nehisi Coates is the young James Joyce of the hip-hop generation.” —Walter Mosley “A searing and soulful memoir.” —Michael Eric Dyson, Author of April 4, 1968 Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52746-0 | 240pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

IRAN AWAKENING: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope By Shirin Ebadi and Azadeh Moaveni This is the moving, inspiring memoir of one of the great women of our times, Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and advocate for the oppressed, whose spirit has remained strong in the face of political persecution and despite the challenges she has faced raising a family while pursuing her work. “The safety and freedom of citizens in democracies is irretrievably bound with the safety and freedom of people like Shirin Ebadi who are fighting to reassert the best achievements of mankind: universal human rights. One of the staunchest advocates for human rights in her country and beyond, Ms. Ebadi, herself a devout Muslim, represents hope for many in Muslim societies that Islam and democracy are indeed compatible.” —Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7528-4 | 256pp. | $14.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

New

THE POSSIBILITY OF EVERYTHING

Website: www.hopeedelman.com

By Hope Edelman In autumn 2000, Hope Edelman, the bestselling author of Motherless Daughters, was a woman adrift, questioning her marriage, her profession, and her place in the world. Confused and worried about how to handle the existence of her three-year-old daughter’s curiously disruptive imaginary friend, Edelman and her husband decided to take her to Maya healers in Belize, hoping that a shaman might help them banish Dodo—and, as they came to understand, all he represented—from their lives. This deeply affecting memoir of a family’s emotional journey explores what Edelman and her husband went looking for in Belize, and what they ultimately discovered about the things that possess and destroy, or that can heal us all. Ballantine Books | HC | 978-0-345-50650-4 | 352pp. | $25.00/$29.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Author Available • e-Book

New

RESILIENCE: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities By Elizabeth Edwards Elizabeth Edwards is no stranger to adversity—from coping with her teenage son’s death and her husband’s infidelity, to her own breast cancer. While on the campaign trail, Elizabeth met many others who have had to contend with serious adversity in their lives, and in Resilience, she draws on their experiences as well as her own, crafting an unsentimental and ultimately inspirational meditation on the gifts we can find among life’s biggest challenges. This concise, powerful, and heartfelt book is ideal for generating discussion and providing inspiration. Broadway | HC | 978-0-7679-3136-6 | 224pp. | $22.95/$26.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.50 Do not order paperback before 4/6/2010. Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-3156-4 | 224pp. | $12.99/$14.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

New

THE MAN WHO LIVES WITH WOLVES By Shaun Ellis and Penny Junor In exhilarating prose, Shaun Ellis, a man who spent years living in the wild as a member of a wolf pack, takes us from his upbringing in the wilds of Norfolk, England, to his survival training with British Army Special Forces to the Nez Percé Indian lands in Idaho, where he first ran with a wolf pack for nearly two years. Offering an extraordinary look into the lives of wolves, Ellis shares how he ate raw kill—and little else; washed rarely; learned to bury his face into the carcasses of prey; communicated with the pack by his howls and body language, which over time became seemingly identical to theirs; and much more. Harmony | HC | 978-0-307-46453-8 | 288pp. | $24.99/$29.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 e-Book

New

I AM AN EMOTIONAL CREATURE The Secret Life of Girls Around the World

Ideal for Women’s Studies Programs

Website: www.vday.org/vgirls

By Eve Ensler This daring, provocative, and insightful book delivers fictional monologues and stories inspired by girls around the globe. Among the girls Ensler creates are an anorexic blogging as she eats less and less; a Chinese factory worker making Barbies; and a Masai girl from Kenya unwilling to endure female genital mutilation. Through rants, poetry, questions, and facts, we come to understand the universality of girls everywhere: their resiliency, their wildness, their pain, their fears, their secrets, and their triumphs. This is a celebration of the authentic voice inside every girl and an inspiring call to action for girls everywhere to speak up, follow their dreams, and become the women they were always meant to be. Villard Books | HC | 978-1-4000-6104-4 | 176pp. | $20.00/$24.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $10.00 Author Available • e-Book

New

BEG, BORROW, STEAL A Writer’s Life

Ideal for MFA in Writing Programs

Website: michaelgreenberg.org

By Michael Greenberg In Beg, Borrow, Steal, Michael Greenberg regales us with his wry, vivid memoir of his life as a writer of little means trying to practice his craft and simply stay alive. He finds himself doctoring doomed movie scripts; selling cosmetics from an ironing board in front of a women’s department store; writing about golf, a game he has never played; and botching his debut as a waiter in a posh restaurant. Hilarious and bittersweet, Greenberg’s stories invite us into a world where the familial, the literary, the tragic, and the mundane not only speak to one another, but deeply enjoy the exchange. Other Press | HC | 978-1-590-51341-5 | 232pp. | $19.95/$24.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $10.00 Author Available • e-Book

JOURNEY FROM THE LAND OF NO A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran By Roya Hakakian This memoir of a young Iranian American poet and journalist is the story of one deeply intelligent young girl’s attempt to find an authentic voice of her own during a time of familial and national upheaval. “Poet and documentary filmmaker Hakakian presents a lyrically poignant account of her coming-of-age years in revolution-beset Iran. . . . Reflecting on growing up both Jewish and female in an increasingly restrictive environment, she is able to offer a unique perspective on the search for spiritual sustenance in a rapidly constricting society. It is both a joy and a privilege to bear witness to one young girl’s remarkable emotional and artistic metamorphosis within a stunningly repressive culture.” —Booklist Selected for Common Reading at Indiana University–Kokomo and SUNY Potsdam. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-609-81030-9 | 256pp. | $13.00/$18.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

THE TRANSLATOR

Website: http://tinyurl.com/cg8m6m

A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur By Daoud Hari The Translator is a suspenseful, harrowing, and deeply moving memoir of how one person can make a difference in the world—an on-the-ground account of one of the biggest stories of our time. Because he chose language and storytelling as his weapons—while others around him were taking up arms—Hari has given us a true and necessary portrait of a deeply troubled region of our world. Selected for Common Reading at Colorado Mountain College and Mars Hill College. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7917-6 | 224pp. | $13.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

New

LOST BOY By Brent W. Jeffs and Maia Szalavitz In the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), girls can become valuable property as plural wives, but boys are expendable, even a liability. In this powerful and heartbreaking account, former FLDS member Brent Jeffs reveals both the terror and the love he experienced growing up on his prophet’s compound—and the harsh exile existence that so many boys face once they have been expelled by the sect. Broadway | HC | 978-0-7679-3177-9 | 256pp. | $24.95/$28.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

LITTLE HEATHENS

Website: www.little-heathens.com

Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression By Mildred Armstrong Kalish Iowa Reader Literary Award for Nonfiction One of the 10 Best Books of the Year, The New York Times Book Review

Little Heathens offers a loving but realistic portrait of a “hearty-handshake Methodist” family that gave its members a remarkable legacy of kinship, kindness, and remembered pleasures. Recounted in a luminous narrative filled with tenderness and humor, Kalish’s memoir of her childhood shows how the right stuff can make even the bleakest of times seem like “quite a romp.” “Not only trustworthy and useful, but also polished by real, rare happiness. It is a very good book, indeed. In fact, it’s averyveryverygoodbook.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, The New York Times Book Review Bantam | TR | 978-0-553-38424-6 | 304pp. | $12.00/$14.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

EDUCATION OF A WANDERING MAN

Website: www.louislamour.com

By Louis L’Amour From his decision to leave school at fifteen to roam the world, to his recollections of life as a hobo on the Southern Pacific Railroad, as a cattle skinner in Texas, as a merchant seaman in Singapore and the West Indies, and as an itinerant bare-knuckled prizefighter across smalltown America, here is Louis L’Amour’s memoir of his lifelong love affair with learning— from books, from wondering, and from some remarkable men and women—that shaped him as a storyteller and as a man. With this book, L’Amour proves to even the most skeptical reader that success stories can come out of all of life’s experiences. Bantam | HC | 978-0-553-05703-4 | 240pp. | $25.00/$28.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Bantam | MM | 978-0-553-28652-6 | 272pp. | $5.99/$7.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Now in Paperback

JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES: My Story

Website: www.langlang.com

By Lang Lang and David Ritz Born in China to parents whose musical careers were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, Lang Lang has emerged as one of the greatest pianists of our time. Yet despite his fame, few in the West know of the heart-wrenching journey from his early childhood as a prodigy in an industrial city in northern China to his difficult years in Beijing to his success today. This is his inspiring story—and one that will give students an appreciation for the courage and sacrifice it takes to achieve greatness. Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52457-5 | 256pp. | $16.00/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

HEAVY METAL ISLAM

Website: heavymetalislam.net

Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam By Mark LeVine

In Heavy Metal Islam, Mark LeVine explores the influence of Western music on the Middle East through interviews with musicians and fans. The result is a revealing tour of contemporary Islamic culture through the evolving music scene and the fusion of two cultures in the Middle East and Northern Africa. “Using music as a prism to observe social relations, he expertly describes the political upheaval and social confusion in the Middle East that Westerners ignore or seldom understand. This examination of the changing and evolving cultures in a key global region is highly —Library Journal recommended.” Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-35339-9 | 304pp. | $13.95/$15.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

THE ROAD OF LOST INNOCENCE: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine By Somaly Mam Introduction by Ayaan Hirsi Ali; Foreword by Nicholas D. Kristof

Website: www.somaly.org

As a girl she was sold into sexual slavery, but now she rescues others. This book is the true story of a Cambodian heroine. In the vein of Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Infidel and Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone, Somaly Mam’s life is an unforgettable and inspiring story of triumph over unthinkable adversity, and puts a face and voice to a human-rights disaster of global proportions: the sprawling sex trade industry of Southeast Asia. Written in exquisite, spare, unflinching prose, The Road of Lost Innocence recounts the experiences of her early life, tells the story of her awakening as an activist, and her harrowing and brave fight against the powerful and corrupt forces that steal the lives of young girls. Selected for Common Reading at West Texas A&M University. Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52622-7 | 224pp. | $15.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

New

SIX MONTHS IN SUDAN

Website: www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/

A Young Doctor in a War-Torn Village By James Maskalyk In 2006, James Maskalyk, a young, single ER physician, gave up a successful practice at one of Toronto’s finest hospitals to join Doctors Without Borders. After months of waiting, he received his assignment: a small village called Abyei, sandwiched in between two military compounds on the border of northern and southern Sudan. A memoir of volunteerism that recalls Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains, Six Months in Sudan is written with humanity, conviction, and piercing insight. Here, Maskalyk chronicles the unthinkable cost of war for one community, and one man’s courageous effort to bring about lasting change. Spiegel & Grau | HC | 978-0-385-52651-7 | 336pp. | $25.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $12.50 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

May 2010

THE OTHER WES MOORE: The Story of One Name and Two Fates By Wes Moore Afterword by Tavis Smiley Two boys named Wes Moore were born in the same neighborhood of the same American city only a year apart. One grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar, army officer, White House Fellow, and a top young business leader—the other is serving a life sentence in prison. Through an unlikely friendship, the two Wes’s discovered all of the similarities in their stories, and also the dramatic points of inflection—involving incidents of sudden violence, luck, uninformed choices, and powerful mentors—where their stories fatefully diverged. Here is their dramatic twinned story, set against the larger story of the persistent challenges—and new possibilities —facing young men in America. Do not order before 5/4/2010. Spiegel & Grau | HC | 978-0-385-52819-1 | 240pp. | $25.00/$29.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

March 2010

JENNIEMAE & JAMES: A Memoir in Black and White By Brooke Newman In this moving memoir, Brooke Newman, the daughter of white mathematical genius, James Newman, and a friend of Albert Einstein, tells the story of his improbable friendship with their housekeeper, an illiterate, uneducated African American woman from rural Alabama named Jenniemae Harrington. The author elegantly weaves together the stories of two very distinct and different individuals, each of whom had a significant impact on her upbringing. She brings their relationship, the time during the 1940s and 1950s, and the city of Washington, D.C., to life, and the result is an inspiring memoir about friendship and love across the race barrier. Do not order before 3/30/2010. Harmony | HC | 978-0-307-46299-2 | 320pp.| $24.00 $29.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

HIGH: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler

Website: www.brianodea.com/

By Brian O’Dea Winner of the 2007 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Non-Fiction Crime Writing

Brian O’Dea turned to using and selling drugs as a teen and soon was operating a $100 million business. Eventually, he quit the trade and drugs and began working with recovering addicts, but was arrested after authorities caught up with him and sentenced him to 10 years in jail. In High, O’Dea candidly recounts his incredible experiences, from smuggling cocaine in Bogota to the bureaucracy of the prison system, in a story of intrigue, and ultimately, redemption. O’Dea speaks regularly to university students about his life as part of a Consequences of Choice lecture. Other Press | TR | 978-1-590-51310-1 | 358pp. | $14.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

New

GERTRUDA’S OATH: A Child, a Promise, and a Heroic Escape During World War II By Ram Oren Translated by Barbara Harshav

Michael Stolowitzky is available for campus visits

Michael Stolowitzky, the only son of a wealthy Jewish family in Poland, was just three years old when war broke out and the family lost everything. His father, desperate to settle his business affairs, traveled to France, leaving Michael in the care of his mother and Gertruda Bablinska, a Catholic nanny devoted to the family. When Michael’s mother suffered a stroke, Gertruda promised the dying woman that she would make her way to Palestine and raise Michael as her own son. Written with the invaluable assistance of Michael, now 72 and living in New York City, Gertruda’s Oath re-creates Michael and Gertruda’s amazing journey. Doubleday Religion | HC | 978-0-385-52718-7 | 320pp. | $24.95/$28.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 e-Book

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Now in Paperback

THE EAVES OF HEAVEN: A Life in Three Wars

Website: www.andrewxpham.com

By Andrew X. Pham A 2009 Honor Book of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association

From Andrew X. Pham, author of Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam, winner of the 1999 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, here is a son’s memoir of his Vietnamese father’s experiences over the course of three wars. “Searing . . . vivid and harrowing . . . Here is war and life through the eyes of a Vietnamese everyman.” —Seattle Times Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-38121-7 | 320pp. | $16.00/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

HUNGER OF MEMORY: The Education of Richard Rodriguez By Richard Rodriguez Best Books for a Transformative New Year, NPR

Hunger of Memory is the fascinating autobiography of a Mexican American student who pays the price for social assimilation and academic success with painful alienation from his past, his parents, and his culture. “His story is extraordinarily sensitive and compassionate, yet disarmingly objective, a genuine act of human and religious faith. Few have presented with such skill the indestructible intimacy of family love and its resilience under the stress of change. This book provides new understanding of the dynamism of language in establishing a person’s private and public identity.” —Prof. Walter J. Ong, St. Louis University “Superb autobiographical essay . . . Rodriguez offers himself as an example of the long labor of change: its costs, its loneliness, but also its triumph.” —The New York Times Book Review Dial Press | TR | 978-0-553-38251-8 | 224pp. | $14.00/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Bantam | MM | 978-0-553-27293-2 | 208pp. | $6.99/$9.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

New

THE LAST RESORT: A Memoir of Zimbabwe By Douglas Rogers Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Douglas Rogers is the son of white farmers living through that country’s long and tense transition from postcolonial rule. He escaped the dull future planned for him by his parents for one of adventure and excitement in Europe and the U.S. But when Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, launched his violent program to reclaim white-owned land and Rogers’ parents were caught in the cross fire, everything changed. Evoking elements of The Tender Bar and Absurdistan, here is an inspiring, coming-of-age tale about home, love, hope, responsibility, and redemption, as well as a deeply moving story about how to survive a corrupt Third World dictatorship with a little innovation, humor, and bribery. Harmony | HC | 978-0-307-40797-9 | 320pp. | $24.99/$29.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Author Available • e-Book

New

EVERY PATIENT TELLS A STORY: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis By Lisa Sanders Here, Dr. Lisa Sanders presents an unflinching look inside diagnosis, revealing the combination of uncertainty and intrigue that doctors face when confronting patients who are sick or dying. Through dramatic stories of patients with baffling symptoms, she portrays the absolute necessity and surprising difficulties of getting the patient’s story, the challenges of the physical exam, the pitfalls of doctor-to-doctor communication, and the near calamity of diagnostic errors. Broadway | HC | 978-0-7679-2246-3 | 304pp. | $25.00/$29.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Now in Paperback

WHEN SKATEBOARDS WILL BE FREE: A Memoir By Saïd Sayrafiezadeh With a profound gift for capturing the absurd in life, and a deadpan wisdom that comes from having survived a bizarre childhood in the Socialist Worker’s Party, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh poises himself perfectly between farce and tragedy. His story is one of a struggle to make sense of oneself in the world, and to find a place within a fractured family left behind by history. “Skateboards is a brave, honest and elegant book. It felt like the story was being whispered in my ear. I haven’t read a memoir in quite a while that has so skillfully made sense of an American childhood.” —Colum McCann The Dial Press | HC | 978-0-385-34068-7 | 304pp. | $22.00/$25.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.00 Do not order paperback before 3/30/2010. Dial Press Trade Paperback | TR | 978-0-385-34069-4 | 320pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

WILDFLOWER: An Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Death in Africa By Mark Seal Veteran journalist Mark Seal takes us deep into Africa to tell the story of Joan Root, a renowned Kenyan-born ecological activist who was brutally and mysteriously murdered in her sleep. A biography featuring something for everyone—adventure, wilderness, love, passion, deception and corruption—this work introduces students to a remarkable real-life heroine. Random House | HC | 978-1-4000-6736-7 | 256pp. | $26.00/$30.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Do not order paperback before 7/13/2010. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7909-1 | 272pp. | $15.00/$17.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

THE SOUVENIR A Daughter Discovers Her Father’s War By Louise Steinman

Website: www.louisesteinman.com To view video of Louise Steinman’s presentation at the 2009 First-Year Experience® conference in Orlando, FL, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ycla2jp

After her parents’ deaths, Louise Steinman discovered nearly 500 letters her father had written to her mother during his service in the Pacific War and a Japanese flag mysteriously inscribed to Yoshio Shimizu. Setting out to determine the identity of Shimizu, Steinman set off to Japan and the Philippines, and returned to the age of her father’s innocence, where she learned of the tender and expressive man she’d never known. Together, Steinman’s stories and her father’s letters create an evocative testament to the ways in which war changes one generation and shapes another. “. . . an intimate and powerful story of the effects of war.” —James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers Selected for Common Reading at Lane Community College and Penn State University. North Atlantic Books | TR | 978-1-556-43701-4 | 224pp. | $15.95/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

CARTWHEELS IN A SARI

Website: www.jayantitamm.com

A Memoir of Growing Up Cult By Jayanti Tamm In this colorful, eye-opening memoir, Jayanti Tamm offers an unforgettable glimpse into the hidden world of growing up “cult” in mainstream America. Through Jayanti’s fascinating story—the first book to chronicle Sri Chinmoy—she unmasks a leader who convinces thousands of disciples to follow him, scores of nations to dedicate monuments to him, and throngs of celebrities (Sting, Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela) to extol him. With tenderness, insight, and humor, Jayanti explores the triumphs and trauma of her life as an insider who longs to be an outsider, her hard-won decision to finally break free, and the unique challenges she confronts as she builds a new life. Harmony | HC | 978-0-307-39392-0 | 304pp. | $22.99/$25.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.50 Author Available • e-Book

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

LIFE STORIES—MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY

THE POET OF BAGHDAD

Website: www.jotatchell.com

A True Story of Love and Defiance By Jo Tatchell Shortlisted for The Costa Biography Award 2006 Long-listed for The Samuel Johnson Prize 2007

Written by Jo Tatchell, a journalist who has spent many years in the Middle East and who is a close friend of Nabeel Yasin’s, The Poet of Baghdad is the gripping story of a family and its fateful encounter with history. From a warm, lighthearted look at the Yasin family before the Saddam dictatorship, to the tale of Nabeel’s persecution and daring flight, and the suspense-filled account of his family’s rebellion against Saddam’s regime, The Poet of Baghdad is an intimate, illuminating, deeply human chronicle of a country and a culture devastated by political repression and war. “Jo Tatchell’s moving narrative, from Nabeel’s mouth, tells of endurance, literary resistance and the courage of a loving, close-knit family oppressed by tyranny and war. Behind the deadly statistics and political rhetoric, voices such as his inspire us to pity and pride.” —The Times (London) Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-2697-3 | 368pp. | $14.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

AMERICAN WIDOW

Website: www.alissatorres.com

By Alissa Torres Illustrated by Sungyoon Choi On September 10, 2001, Eddie Torres started his dream job at Cantor Fitzgerald in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The next morning, he said goodbye to his 71⁄2months-pregnant wife, Alissa, and headed out the door. In an instant, Alissa’s world was thrown into chaos. Beautifully and thoughtfully illustrated, American Widow is the affecting account of one woman’s journey through shock, pain, birth, and rebirth in the aftermath of a great tragedy. Villard Books | HC | 978-0-345-50069-4 | 224pp. | $22.00/$25.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.00 Author Available

LAST NIGHT I DREAMED OF PEACE The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram

Website: www.randomhouse.com/crown/thuytram

By Dang Thuy Tram Translated by Andrew X. Pham “Last night, I dreamed that Peace was established . . . ” —Dang Thuy Tram, Vietnam, June 4, 1968 Written from 1968–1970, this diary of a young, idealistic Vietnamese female doctor describes the horrors of war and her devotion to family, country, and the Communist party. Her last entry was made the day before she died protecting her hospital. “Urgent, simple prose that pierces the heart.” —Kirkus Reviews Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-34738-1 | 256pp. | $12.95/$14.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide • Translator Available

HANDS OF MY FATHER A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love By Myron Uhlberg “Does sound have rhythm?” my father asked. “Does it rise and fall like the ocean? Does it come and go like the wind?” Such were the kinds of questions posed to Myron Uhlberg, the hearing son of deaf parents as he helped his father decipher, and understand, the elusive nature of sound. This challenge, among many others, shaped Uhlberg’s atypical childhood during the remarkably eventful period spanning the Depression, World War II, and the early fifties. His is a story that illuminates similarities and differences within one’s closest community: a family. Bantam | HC | 978-0-553-80688-5 | 256pp. | $23.00/$25.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.50 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

Spotlight: New Orleans NINE LIVES Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans

Now in Paperback

By Dan Baum In the tradition of great works of literary nonfiction like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil comes a critically praised and bestselling exploration of one of America’s most haunted and fiercely loved places—New Orleans—told through the interwoven stories of nine unforgettable characters. “Dan Baum tests the power of a very haunting place to bring these beautifully crafted narratives into a coherent whole—and New Orleans comes through with soulful aplomb. Nine Lives is a masterful portrait of a fragile American outpost between two terrible storms.” —Jed Horne, author of Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City

Website: www.danbaum.com

Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52320-2 | 368pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

BREACH OF FAITH Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City By Jed Horne Journalist Jed Horne, a French Quarter resident, was an up-close witness to the chaos and horror of Hurricane Katrina. Drawing on his two decades in the Big Easy, Horne steps back and locates the roots of the disaster in the culture of New Orleans; in the politics of this troubled city; and in the national politics of homeland security, poverty, and race relations. He addresses the government’s lackluster response to the crisis, the polarizing debate over whether to rebuild the city, and the initial reconstruction efforts. “[A] splendid mix of reporting and commentary. . . . Horne, with a sure grasp of local politics and culture, provides a [clear] sense of why things fell apart so completely in New Orleans.” —The New York Times Book Review

Website: www.jedhorne.com

Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7650-2 | 464pp. | $16.00/$19.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

SONG FOR MY FATHERS By Tom Sancton

Website: www.otherpress.com/songformyfathers

April 2010

Tulane Reading Project 2006 Former Time Paris Bureau Chief and bestselling author Tom Sancton returns to the New Orleans of his youth and the music that shaped and guided his life. Here is the story of a young white boy driven by a consuming passion to learn the music and ways of a group of aging black jazzmen in the twilight years of the segregation era. The narrative unfolds against the vivid backdrop of New Orleans in the 1950s and ‘60s. Written several years before Katrina crashed into New Orleans and changed its face forever, Song for My Fathers seems all the more moving in the wake of that cataclysm. Do not order before 4/20/2010. Other Press | TR | 978-1-59051-376-7 | 304pp. | $13.95/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

Life Stories—Memoir, Biography, and Autobiography

Author Spotlight: Thomas Mullen THOMAS MULLEN is the author of The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers and The Last Town on Earth, which was named Best Debut Novel of the Year by USA Today and Best Book of the Year by Chicago Tribune, and won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and son.

THE LAST TOWN ON EARTH

Website: www.thomasmullen.net To view video of Thomas Mullen’s presentation at the 2010 First-Year Experience® Conference in Denver, CO go to: www.commonreads.com

A Novel By Thomas Mullen

et against the backdrop of one of the most virulent epidemics that America ever experienced—the 1918 flu epidemic—Thomas Mullen’s powerful, sweeping first novel is a tale of morality in a time of upheaval, and a powerful meditation for our own time. Deep in the mist-shrouded forests of the Pacific Northwest is a small mill town called Commonwealth, conceived as a haven for workers weary of exploitation. For Philip Worthy, the adopted son of the town’s founder, it is a haven in another sense—as the first place in his life he’s had a loving family to call his own. And yet, the ideals that define this outpost are being threatened from all sides. A world war is raging, and with the fear of spies rampant, the loyalty of all Americans is coming under scrutiny. Meanwhile, another shadow has fallen across the region in the form of a deadly illness striking down vast swaths of surrounding communities. Inspired by a little-known historical footnote regarding towns that quarantined themselves during the 1918 epidemic, The Last Town on Earth is a remarkably moving and accomplished debut that stimulates discussion and debate.

Random House | TR 978-0-8129-7592-5 | 432pp. $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

Selected for Common Reading Bowling Green State University Murray State University Rutgers University School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program Western Michigan University Honors Program Whitman College A Tale For Three Counties, Batavia, NY Together We Read, Stanwood and Camano Island, WA

www.CommonReads.com

“Thomas Mullen’s book, The Last Town on Earth, inspired our students to think about choices and consequences. Mr. Mullen is not only an extraordinarily gifted writer, he is also an engaging speaker, wonderful listener, and an inspiration for students of all ages.” —Sarolta Anna Takács Dean, School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program Professor of History Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey “Not only is Tom Mullen’s The Last Town on Earth a compelling read, it was an outstanding choice for our Honors College Freshman Fall Welcome. Our students were drawn to the interlocking themes of morality, compassion for one’s fellow man, the meaning of community, and the all-consuming ethical dilemma the citizens of Commonwealth were forced to address. This wonderful novel was the centerpiece of an entire week of programming designed to engage our students in reflective thinking and lively debate.” –Nicholas Andreadis M.D., Dean, Lee Honors College, Western Michigan University

A Message from Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green State University University Libraries Department of Library Teaching and Learning

January 6, 2010

To: Random House From: BGSU Common Reading Experience Committee Re: Endorsement of Thomas Mullen

The Last Town on Earth is one of those books our students continue to talk about and reference. Though set in an era long ago, one can’t help but think about the timeliness of this haunting piece of historical fiction because of the H1N1 situation we find ourselves in currently. Mullen’s characters are plentiful and carefully crafted which enabled our students to more easily engage with the book and identify with the moral dilemmas faced by the characters. Mullen’s interactions with students during his campus visit gave them the opportunity to delve even deeper—not only into the characters and plot but into the writing process. He was patient and accessible— students responded well to Mullen which resulted in one of the best author visits we have had in the ten years we have had the program!

Also by Thomas Mullen New

THE MANY DEATHS OF THE FIREFLY BROTHERS A Novel From the acclaimed author of The Last Town on Earth comes an evocative new novel which details the Depression-era adventures and exploits of two celebrity bank robbers known as The Firefly Brothers by the press, the authorities, and those who worship their acts as brazen, heroic counterpunches thrown at a broken system. It’s an imaginative and mythical saga that raises serious questions about justice, fate, and mortality. Random House | HC | 978-1-4000-6753-4 | 416pp. | $26.00/$32.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Author Available • e-Book

Fiction to Talk About

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET

Website: www.jamieford.com

By Jamie Ford

n 1986, Henry Lee, a Chinese American widower, comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now a new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families left behind when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, memories take him back to the 1940s. At the height of the war, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student, at the exclusive Rainier Elementary. They forge a friendship—and an innocent love—that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family are evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end and that their promise to each other will be kept. Decades later, Henry tries to make sense of the past and confront the choices he made. Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable portrait of a couple whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.

I Now in Paperback

Ballantine | TR 978-0-345-50534-7 | 320pp. $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book Teacher’s Guide

“A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don’t repeat those injustices.” —Kirkus Reviews “Ford expertly nails the sweet innocence of first love, the cruelty of racism, the blindness of patriotism, the astonishing unknowns between parents and their children, and the sadness and satisfaction at the end of a life well lived. The result is a vivid picture of a confusing and critical time in American history.” —Library Journal

Selected for Common Reading Schenectady Reads

About the Author JAMIE FORD is an award-winning short-story writer, an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and a survivor of Orson Scott Card’s Literary Boot Camp. Having grown up near Seattle’s Chinatown, he now lives in Montana with his wife and children. 34

www.CommonReads.com

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

THE LAW OF DREAMS A Novel By Peter Behrens Driven from the only home he has known during Ireland’s Great Hunger of 1847, Fergus O’Brien makes the harrowing journey from County Clare to America, traveling with bold girls, pearl boys, navies, and highwaymen. Along the way, Fergus meets his three passionate loves—Phoebe, Luke, and Molly—vivid, unforgettable characters, fresh and willful. Based on Peter Behrens’s own family history, The Law of Dreams is lyrical, emotional, and thoroughly extraordinary—a searing tale of ardent struggle and ultimate perseverance. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7800-1 | 416pp. | $13.95/NCR. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

THE SOLEMN LANTERN MAKER A Novel By Merlinda Bobis The magical and the humble collide in this extraordinary novel from the award-winning author of Banana Heart Summer. When a mute ten-year-old boy in Manila whisks an American tourist injured in a drive-by shooting to the safety of the hut he shares with his mother, their lives are transformed as the wounded guest’s presence sparks long-buried memories—and reignites in them the power of love. Delta | TR | 978-0-385-34113-4 | 272pp. | $14.00/$17.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

FAHRENHEIT 451

Website: www.raybradbury.com

By Ray Bradbury Winner of The National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters

Internationally acclaimed, Fahrenheit 451 is Ray Bradbury’s landmark novel of a future society where books are outlawed and only one man awakens to the evils of censorship. “Frightening in its implications . . . Mr. Bradbury’s account of this insane world, which bears many alarming resemblances to our own, is fascinating.” —The New York Times Selected for Common Reading at Illinois Central College, Randolf-Macon College, and Xavier University. Ballantine | TR | 978-0-345-41001-6 | 192pp. | $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Del Rey | MM | 978-0-345-34296-6 | 208pp. | $6.99/$8.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Teacher’s Guide

THE GUARDIANS A Novel By Ana Castillo From American Book Award-winning author Ana Castillo comes a suspenseful, moving new novel about a sensuous, smart, and fiercely independent woman. Eking out a living as a teacher’s aide in a small New Mexican border town, Tía Regina is also raising her teenage nephew, Gabo, a hardworking boy who has entered the country illegally and aspires to the priesthood. When Gabo’s father, Rafa, disappears while crossing over from Mexico, Regina fears the worst. “Castillo writes fiction and poetry of earthy sensuality, wry social commentary, and lyrical spiritualism that confront the cruel injustices accorded women and Mexicans in America, legal and otherwise. . . . In this tightly coiled and powerful tale. . . . At once shatteringly realistic and dramatically mystical, Castillo’s incandescent novel of suffering and love traces life’s movement toward the light even in the bleakest of places.” —Booklist (starred review) Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7571-0 | 240pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

Fiction to Talk About

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

BROTHERS

Website: www.dachen.org

A Novel By Da Chen Bestselling memoirist Da Chen delivers a sprawling, dynamic family saga, complete with assassinations, love affairs, narrowly missed opportunities, and the ineluctable fulfillment of destiny. “From Shaolin to the sugarloaf mountains of Gwangdong to Tiananmen Square and the skyscrapers of New York: an epic novel that neatly distills modern Chinese history. Da Chen’s elegantly written novel ends on the promise of redemption . . . ” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-1-4000-9729-6 | 448pp. | $14.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available

THE POWER OF ONE

Website: www.brycecourtenay.com

A Novel By Bryce Courtenay In 1939, as Hitler casts his enormous, cruel shadow across the world, the seeds of apartheid take root in South Africa. There, a boy called Peekay is born. His childhood is marked by humiliation and abandonment, yet he vows to survive and conceives heroic dreams—which are nothing compared to what life actually has in store for him. He embarks on an epic journey through a land of tribal superstition and modern prejudice where he will learn the power of words, the power to transform lives, and the power of one. “The Power of One has everything: suspense, the exotic, violence; mysticism, psychology and magic; schoolboy adventures, drama.” —The New York Times Ballantine Books | TR | 978-0-345-41005-4 | 544pp. | $14.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

A MEANINGFUL LIFE By L.J. Davis Introduction by Jonathan Lethem Just out of college, Lowell Lake heads to New York to make it big as a writer. Instead, he’s hired as a technical editor, a job at which he toils away while passion leaks out of his marriage. Then Lowell sinks every penny he has into a beautiful crumbling mansion in a crime-ridden section of Brooklyn. He quits his job, moves in, and devotes himself to demolition and construction. He is determined to dig up the lost history of his house, and restore it to its past grandeur. He will make good on everything that has gone wrong with his life, even commit murder to do it. NYRB Classics | TR | 978-1-590-17300-8 | 232pp. | $14.95/$17.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

NIKI The Story of a Dog By Tibor Déry Translated by Edward Hyams Introduction by George Szirtes The Ancsas are a middle-aged couple living on the outskirts of Budapest in a ruinous Hungary that is just beginning to recover from the nightmare of World War II. Mr. Ancsa has no time for a little mongrel, pregnant with her first litter. But Niki knows better, and before long she is part of the Ancsa household. And when Mr. Ancsa is swept up in a political crackdown—disappearing without a trace for five years—it is a terrifying time during which Mrs. Ancsa and Niki have only each other. The story of Niki, an ordinary dog, and the Ancsas, is an extraordinarily touching, utterly unsentimental, parable about caring, kindness, and the endurance of love. NYRB Classics | TR | 978-1-590-17318-3 | 144pp. | $14.95/$17.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

www.CommonReads.com

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

NIKOLSKI A Novel By Nicolas Dickner Translated by Lazer Lederhendler This is a sweet and quirky story of three characters who break free from their families in order to live authentically. It follows Noah, Joyce, and the anonymous narrator as each leave their far-flung birthplaces to follow their own personal songs of migration. All three end up in Montreal, each on his or her voyage of self-discovery, each compelled to deal with the mishaps of heartbreak and the twisted branches of their shared family tree. Filled with humor, charm, and marvelous storytelling, this novel links cartography, garbage-obsessed archeologists, pirates past and present, a mysterious book with no cover, and a broken compass whose needle obstinately points to the miniscule Aleutian village of Nikolski. Trumpeter | TR | 978-1-590-30714-4 | 304pp. | $14.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00

Now in Paperback

EVERY MAN DIES ALONE By Hans Fallada Translated by Michael Hofmann This never-before-translated masterpiece—by a heroic bestselling writer who saw his life crumble when he wouldn’t join the Nazi Party—is based on a true story. It presents a richly detailed portrait of life in Berlin under the Nazis and tells the sweeping, deeply-stirring saga of one working-class couple who decides to take a stand when their only son is killed at the front. With nothing but their grief and each other against the awesome power of the Reich, they launch a simple, clandestine resistance campaign that soon has an enraged Gestapo on their trail, and a world of terrified neighbors and cynical snitches ready to turn them in. Melville House | HC | 978-1-933-63363-3 | 544pp. | $27.00/$32.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.75 Do not order paperback before 3/30/2010. Melville House | TR | 978-1-935-55404-2 | 544pp. | $18.95/$23.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

BOMBINGHAM By Anthony Grooms From the war-torn rice fields of Vietnam to the riot-filled streets of Birmingham, Alabama, Bombingham is the affecting story of a middle-class black family shattered by its personal chaos. As young African American Walter Burke struggles to make sense of his presence in Vietnam, he wonders if the victory of the civil rights movement meant nothing more than being sent into a battlefield of another kind. Selected for Common Reading at Marquette University, Alabama A&M University, and SUNY Oswego. One World/Ballantine | TR | 978-0-345-45293-1 | 320pp. | $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

SLOW HOMECOMING By Peter Handke Introduction by Benjamin Kunkel A novel of self-questioning and self-discovery, Slow Homecoming begins in America, where the author introduces Valentin Sorger, a troubled geologist who has gone to Alaska to lose himself in his work, but now feels drawn back home: On his way to Europe he moves in ominous disorientation through the great cities of America. The book’s second part identifies Sorger as a projection of the author, who now writes directly about his own struggle to reconstitute himself and his art by undertaking a pilgrimage. The culmination is a deeply moving account of a new father—not so much Sorger or the author as a kind of Everyman—and his love for his growing daughter. NYRB Classics | TR | 978-1-590-17307-7 | 296pp. | $15.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00

Fiction to Talk About

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

INTO THE FOREST

Website: www.jeanhegland.com

By Jean Hegland Into the Forest follows two young sisters struggling to make sense of their world when their near-future society collapses. Hegland’s exploration of the sisters’ relationship as they go deeper into the forest reveals the full dimension of their bond, and what it means to be human and alive in this new world. “The plot draws readers along at the same time that the details and vivid writing encourage rereading. . . . a truly admirable addition to a genre defined by the very high standards of George Orwell’s 1984 and Russell Hoban’s Ridley Walker.” —Publishers Weekly Selected for Common Reading at Santa Rosa Junior College and Bowling Green State University. Bantam | TR | 978-0-553-37961-7 | 256pp. | $15.00/$23.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

ONE FOOT WRONG By Sofie Laguna Imprisoned in a house by her reclusive, religious parents, Hester Wakefield has never spoken to another child, nor seen the outside world. Her one possession is an illustrated children’s Bible, and its imagery forms the sole basis for her capacity to make poetic, real-life connections. One day she takes a brave Alice in Wonderland-trip into the forbidden outside, and this overwhelming encounter with light and sky and sunshine changes her life. This harrowing tale challenges the boundaries of right and wrong, sanity and madness, love and justice. Hester’s distinctive voice and her way of seeing the world illuminate every page and make this novel an enlightening and, ultimately, uplifting and transformative experience. Other Press | TR | 978-1-590-51316-3 | 208pp. | $12.95/$15.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

Now in Paperback

THE LAST DAY: A Novel By James Landis Armed with a rifle and his deeply held faith, a young U.S. Army sniper freshly returned from the Iraq War to his native New Hampshire travels across ideological borders and earns an appreciation for his enemy’s culture and for what connects us all as human beings. Upon returning home, he spends an entire day with Jesus, visiting and contemplating his own life with fresh eyes, and a willing heart. This extraordinary work of compassion and healing grace combines the themes of religion, war, and poetry in a way that is wholly original, unforgettable, will resonate with skeptics and believers, and will be shared and discussed between friends and among families. Steerforth | TR | 978-1-586-42165-6 | 304pp. | $14.99/$18.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

New

THE BLUE NOTEBOOK: A Novel By James A. Levine, M.D. This fictional story written by Mayo Clinic doctor James A. Levine takes readers into the life of Batuk, a precocious 15-year-old girl from rural India who was sold into sexual slavery by her father when she was nine. As Batuk navigates the grim realities of the Common Street— a street of prostitution in Mumbai where children are kept in cages as they wait for customers to pay for sex—she manages to put pen to paper, recording her private thoughts and stories in a diary where she finds hope and beauty in the bleakest circumstances. All of the U.S. proceeds from this novel will be donated to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children (www.icmec.org). Spiegel & Grau | HC | 978-0-385-52871-9 | 224pp. | $23.00/$26.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.50 Do not order paperback before 7/6/2010. Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52872-6 | 224pp. | $14.00/$17.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

ANGRY BLACK WHITE BOY

Website: www.adammansbach.com

A Novel By Adam Mansbach From the acclaimed author of Shackling Water comes the first great race novel of the twenty-first century—an incendiary and ruthlessly funny satire about violence, pop culture, and American identity. “ . . . [A] revelation, a wise and funny riff on hip hop and the racial divide that has always plagued America. I found that [Angry White Black Boy] could get a class talking, at the deepest level, about the hardest issues, with a common language of youth culture. Mansbach’s writing is masterful, his references are erudite but accessible, and his vision is unflinching.” —Rick Ayers, Berkeley High School, co-author, Great Books for High School Kids: A Teacher’s Guide to Books That Can Change Teens’ Lives Currently taught in courses at over thirty colleges and universities nationwide Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-1-4000-5487-9 | 352pp. | $12.95/$17.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

THE END OF THE JEWS

Website: www.adammansbach.com

A Novel By Adam Mansbach From the author of Angry Black White Boy, this is an ambitious and affecting family drama elevated by Mansbach’s imaginative storytelling techniques and deep empathy for his characters. Boldly reworking the story of Jewish assimilation around the tale of a family of fierce individuals, this is the story of anyone willing to fight for love, art, and a place in the world. Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52042-3 | 320pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

LAY THAT TRUMPET IN OUR HANDS By Susan Carol McCarthy

Website: www.susancarolmccarthy.com/index.htm

Inspired by real events, Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands is a novel that tackles race politics in the pre-Civil Rights South unlike any other book in recent memory. “Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, McCarthy’s debut novel is an engrossing story of one girl’s coming of age during the early years of the Civil Rights Movement.” —Library Journal Selected for Common Reading at numerous high schools, colleges and communities. For a complete list, go to www.tinyurl.com/yc356bg. Bantam | TR 978-0-553-38103-0 | 288pp. | $13.00/$18.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

TRUE FIRES A Novel

Website: www.susancarolmccarthy.com/index.htm

By Susan Carol McCarthy Inspired by true events in Central, Florida, 1954, this is the moving story of a family exiled from school and community by discriminatory segregation laws. A gripping read, True Fires plumbs the depths of small-town prejudices and politics and exposes one of the grimmest faces of injustice. This book is excellent for discussions of American history, segregation, and civil rights. “In McCarthy’s insightful, fervent second novel . . . flawless dialogue, warm characters and compassionate wit service a moving story about the powers of love and justice.” —Publishers Weekly Bantam | TR | 978-0-553-38104-7 | 320pp. | $13.00/$18.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Fiction to Talk About

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

April 2010

BEATRICE AND VIRGIL: A Novel By Yann Martel From the award-winning, bestselling author of Life of Pi, a popular common reading selection, Yann Martel’s newest book is a mesmerizing and brilliant exploration of the limitations of language in understanding and describing the horrors of the Holocaust. At the center of the novel is the relationship between two Henrys—a novelist and a taxidermist—who collaborate on a play about a donkey and a howler monkey who have survived a genocide. Heartbreaking and utterly original, the novel asks enduring questions about life and art, truth and deception, responsibility and complicity. Like Life of Pi, it will elicit endless discussion among students and is destined to become a storytelling classic. Do not order before 4/13/2010. Spiegel & Grau | HC | 978-1-4000-6926-2 | 224pp. | $23.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $11.50 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

New Website: www.sarahmccoy.com

THE TIME IT SNOWED IN PUERTO RICO: A Novel By Sarah McCoy

In the tradition of The House on Mango Street and Annie John comes a novel about the struggle to break free from the people who have raised us, and the difficulties of leaving behind one’s homeland for places unknown. Both joyous and heartbreaking, it is the story of a young girl discovering her power and finding the strength to decide what sort of woman she’ll become. “In the voice of her lovably defiant adolescent narrator, Sarah McCoy tells a story of magic, myth, and mystery amid political and cultural unrest . . . A delightful debut. . . . ” —Sheri Reynolds, author of A Gracious Plenty Shaye Areheart Books | HC | 978-0-307-46007-3 | 224pp. | $19.99/$24.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $10.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

AMERICAN RUST: A Novel

Website: www.philippmeyer.net

By Philipp Meyer A 2009 New York Times Notable Book

Left alone to care for his aging father after his mother commits suicide, Isaac English longs for a life beyond his hometown. But when he finally sets out to leave for good, accompanied by his temperamental best friend, they are caught up in a terrible act of violence that changes their lives forever. Set in an economically devastated Pennsylvania steel town, here is a novel of the lost American dream and the desperation—as well as the acts of friendship, loyalty, and love— that arise from its loss. It is the story of two young men bound to the town by family, responsibility, and inertia, who dream of a future beyond the factories and abandoned homes. Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52752-1 | 400pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

THE SPEED OF DARK: A Novel

Website: www.elizabethmoon.com

By Elizabeth Moon Winner, 2004 Nebula Award

The Speed of Dark is an exploration into the world of Lou Arrendale, an autistic man who is offered a chance to try a brand-new experimental “cure” for his condition. Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world . . . and the very essence of who he is. The Speed of Dark is a fascinating work of fiction ideal for discussions about choice and its consequences. Selected for Common Reading at Clemson University, Ohio State University and SUNY Oswego. Ballantine | TR | 978-0-345-44754-8 | 368pp. $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Del Rey | MM | 978-0-345-48139-9 | 384pp. | $6.99/$10.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

New

THE PATIENCE STONE By Atiq Rahimi Translated by Polly Mclean Introduction by Khaled Hosseini “For far too long, Afghan women have been faceless and voiceless. Until now. With The Patience Stone, Atiq Rahimi gives face and voice to one unforgettable woman—and, one could argue, offers her as a proxy for the grievances of millions . . . it is a rich read, part allegory, part a tale of retribution, part an exploration of honor, love, sex, marriage, war. It is without doubt an important and courageous book.” —from the introduction by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns Other Press | HC | 978-1-590-51344-6 | 154pp. | $16.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $8.50 e-Book

MY JIM: A Novel

Website: www.nancygrawles.net

By Nancy Rawles ALEX Award Winner (American Library Association) A New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age

A deeply moving recasting of one of the most controversial characters in American literature, Huckleberry Finn’s Jim. Written in the great literary tradition of novels of American slavery, My Jim is told in the incantatory voice of Sadie Watson, an ex-slave who schools her granddaughter with lessons of love she learned in bondage. To help her granddaughter confront the decisions she needs to make, Sadie mines her memory for the tale of the unquenchable love of her life, Jim. A nuanced critique and reinvention of Twain’s great American novel, My Jim stands on its own as a haunting and inspiring story about freedom, longing, and the remarkable endurance of love. “In a spare, naturalistic style that’s reminiscent of oral history . . . Rawles covers territory Twain did not: Jim’s early life in captivity, his seemingly endless struggle for freedom, his love for his wife and children, his impossible anguish upon separation.” —The New York Times Book Review Selected for Seattle Reads One Book, One Community 2009. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-1-4000-5401-5 | 192pp. | $12.95/$17.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT By Erich Maria Remarque This is the classic anti-war novel about young German soldiers during World War I. Twenty-year old Paul Baumer’s world of work, duty, culture, and progress is shattered with the first bombardment in the trenches, and he vows to fight against the principle of hate that pits young men of the same generation against each other. Few other books have ever achieved such dramatic acclaim or enduring success. Selected for Common Reading at St. Louis Community College. Ballantine | TR | 978-0-449-91149-5 | 304pp. | $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Ballantine | MM | 978-0-449-21394-0 | 304pp. | $6.99/$9.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS: A Novel By Arundhati Roy Winner of the prestigious Booker Prize in 1997, The God of Small Things was Arundhati Roy’s stunning debut. Set in 1969, Rahel and Estha are twins born of a wealthy Indian family. The story shifts between two times: the present, where Rahel visits her mute brother, and the past, one day in December that tore the family apart. As vivid as it is powerful, Roy’s novel is reminiscent of Faulkner, Rushdie, and Márquez—a sure-fire contemporary classic that should be added to every student’s reading library. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7965-7 | 352pp. | $15.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

Fiction to Talk About

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

THE SATANIC VERSES A Novel

For more books by Salman Rushdie, visit http://tinyurl.com/yeq8jyh

By Salman Rushdie A new edition of Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie’s fifth and best-known novel, which is as relevant as ever: the metamorphoses, dreams, and revelations of two men after their plane explodes in a hijacking over the English Channel. “A novel of metamorphoses, hauntings, memories, hallucinations, revelations, advertising jingles, and jokes. Rushdie has the power of description, and we succumb.” —The Times (London) Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7671-7 | 576pp. | $16.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

DREAMERS OF THE DAY

Website: www.marydoriarussell.net

A Novel By Mary Doria Russell A schoolteacher from Ohio, Agnes has come into a modest inheritance that allows her to take the trip of a lifetime to Egypt and the Holy Land. Arriving at the Semiramis Hotel just as the Peace Conference convenes, she finds herself in the company of Winston Churchill and other dignitaries who have come to decide upon the fate of the Arab world—a fate that still resonates today. An engrossing piece of historical fiction, this book will both entice students and educate them about the lasting effects of political decisions. “A remarkably vivid account of a woman’s accidental witness to history.” —Kirkus Reviews Ballantine | TR | 978-0-345-48555-7 | 288pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

A THREAD OF GRACE

Website: www.marydoriarussell.net

A Novel By Mary Doria Russell Set in Italy during the dramatic finale of World War II, Mary Doria Russell tells the littleknown but true story of the network of Italian citizens who saved the lives of 43,000 Jews during the war’s final phase. The result of five years of meticulous research, A Thread of Grace is an ambitious, engrossing novel about ordinary people taking heroic risks in the face of a powerful evil. Ballantine | TR | 978-0-449-00413-5 | 464pp. | $14.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

THE SPARROW

Website: www.marydoriarussell.net

A Novel By Mary Doria Russell “If you have to send a group of people to a newly discovered planet to contact a totally unknown species, whom would you choose? How about four Jesuit priests, a young astronomer, a physician, her engineer husband, and a child prostitute-turned-computer-expert? That’s who Mary Doria Russell sends in her new novel, The Sparrow. This motley combination of agnostics, true believers, and misfits becomes the first to explore the Alpha Centuri world of Rakhat with both enlightening and disastrous results. . . . Vivid and engaging . . . ” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Selected for Common Reading at Knox College. Ballantine | TR | 978-0-449-91255-3 | 448pp. | $14.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

By Tayeb Salih Translated by Denys Johnson-Davies Introduction by Laila Lalami

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

SEASON OF MIGRATION TO THE NORTH

Named most important Arabic novel of the 20th century by the Arab Literary Academy in Damascus

After years of study in Europe, this novel’s young narrator returns to his village along the Nile in the Sudan. There, he discovers Mustafa, an enigmatic stranger who tells him about his own years in London, and of the series of deadly relationships with European women that led him back to his native land. Then Mustafa suddenly disappears, leaving the young man—whom he has asked to look after his wife—in an unsettled, violent no-man’s-land between Europe and Africa, tradition and innovation, holiness and defilement, from which no one will escape unaltered or unharmed. NYRB Classics | TR | 978-1-590-17302-2 | 184pp. | $14.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00

Now in Paperback

SHANGHAI GIRLS: A Novel

Website: www.lisasee.com

By Lisa See A fascinating new novel from author Lisa See about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old. “A buoyant and lustrous paean to the bonds of sisterhood.” —Booklist “See is masterly in her powerful depictions of the prejudice and harsh treatment the sisters encounter as they try to assimilate into the strange new world of Los Angeles. Possibly the best book yet from the author of Peony in Love; highly recommended.” —Library Journal Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-8053-0 | 336pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN

Website: www.lisasee.com

A Novel By Lisa See A New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age

Lily is haunted by memories of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most profound human relationships: friendship. A moving exploration of the power of memory, the dangers of oppression, and the redemptive powers of language. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-6806-4 | 288pp. | $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

Now in Paperback

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

Website: www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guernsey

By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows A Library Journal Best Book of 2008

January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name. “[A] marvelous debut. . . . Reminiscent of Helene Hanff’s 84 Charing Cross Road, this is a warm, funny, tender, and thoroughly entertaining celebration of the power of the written word.” —Library Journal “Charming. . . . [Heroine] Juliet finds in the letters not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life—as readers will.” —Publishers Weekly Selected for Read Across Rhode Island 2010 and SaratogaReads! 2009–2010. Dial Press Trade Paperback | TR | 978-0-385-34100-4 | 304pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

Fiction to Talk About

FICTION TO TALK ABOUT

PRIDE OF BAGHDAD By Brian K. Vaughan Art by Niko Henrichon Winner, IGN Award for Best Original Graphic Novel 2006

Inspired by true events, this provocative graphic novel offers a startlingly original look at life on the streets of Baghdad during the Iraq War. It is the fictionalized account of the true story of four lions that escaped from the Baghdad Zoo after an American bombing in 2003. In documenting the plight of the lions—lost and confused, hungry but finally free—this heartbreaking window into the nature of life during wartime raises questions about the true meaning of liberation—can it be given or is it earned only through self-determination and sacrifice? And in the end, is it truly better to die free than to live life in captivity? Vertigo | TR | 978-1-401-20315-3 | 136pp. | $12.99/$15.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE A Novel

For more books by Kurt Vonnegut, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yalov8r

By Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the world’s great anti-war books. Centering on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim’s odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know. “Poignant and hilarious, threaded with compassion and, behind everything, the cataract of a thundering moral statement.” —Boston Globe Dial Press | TR | 978-0-385-33384-9 | 288pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Dell Books | MM | 978-0-440-18029-6 | 224pp. | $7.99/$9.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

Now in Paperback

SWEEPING UP GLASS By Carolyn Wall Someone is killing the wolves of Big Foley Mountain, and Olivia, who owns a strip of mountain, starts to realize how much of her own bitter history she’s never understood: Her mother’s madness; her daughter’s flight to California; and most of all, her town’s fear, for Olivia has real and dangerous enemies. Now this proud, lonely woman is ready to ignite a conflict that will embroil an entire community—and change her life—in this tough and tender novel of love, race, justice, and the power of family. “The fresh voice of that clear-eyed narrator reminded me of Scout in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. I literally could not put it down.” —Boston Globe Delta | TR | 978-0-385-34303-9 | 336pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

Win Free Books. Get News. See What Others Are Reading. Visit: www.commonreads.com

www.CommonReads.com

MANDELA’S WAY Fifteen Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage By Richard Stengel Preface by Nelson Mandela

e long for heroes and have too few. Nelson Mandela is the closest thing the world has to a secular saint. He liberated a country from a system of violent prejudice and helped unite oppressor and oppressed in a way that had never been done before. Now Time magazine editor Rick Stengel, who collaborated with Mandela on his bestselling autobiography and became a cherished friend, distills Mandela’s wisdom into 15 vital life lessons. Woven into these lessons are remarkable stories—of Mandela’s childhood as the protégé of a tribal king, of his early days as a freedom fighter, of the 27-year imprisonment that could not break him, and of his new and fulfilling marriage at the age of eighty. This profoundly inspiring book spurs us to look within ourselves, reconsider the things we take for granted, and contemplate the legacy we’ll leave behind.

March 2010

The 15 Lessons 1. Courage Is Not the Absence of Fear 2. Be Measured 3. Lead from the Front 4. Look the Part 5. Lead from the Back 6. See the Good in Others 7. Keep Your Rivals Close 8. Have a Core Principle

9. 10. 11. 12.

Know When to Say No Know Your Enemy It’s Always Both Love Makes the Difference 13. It’s a Long Game 14. Quitting Is Leading Too 15. Find Your Own Garden

“Rick Stengel’s wise and moving book captures the Nelson Mandela I have been privileged to know. . . . I was inspired anew, and I know others will be too.” —President Bill Clinton “This delightfully inspiring book is a philosophical guide to how we can aspire to achieve Mandela’s grace and how we can draw upon his greatness as a model for the comportment of our lives each day.” —Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University “Through anecdotes both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this uplifting, inspiring volume makes Mandela’s hard-won wisdom accessible to anyone who wants to play a part in making the world a better place.” —Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea

Do not order before 3/30/2010. Crown | HC 978-0-307-46068-4 | 256pp. $23.00/$27.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.50 Audio Edition • e-Book

About the Author RICHARD STENGEL is the editor of Time magazine. Stengel collaborated with Nelson Mandela on Mandela’s bestselling 1993 autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, and later served as coproducer of the 1996 Oscar-nominated documentary Mandela. He is also the author of January Sun: One Day, Three Lives, a South African Town. He is married to Mary Pfaff, and they have two sons. Inspiration and Guidance

Author Spotlight: Bill Strickland BILL STRICKLAND is the President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation and its subsidiaries, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (MCG), and Bidwell Training Center (BTC). He is nationally recognized as a visionary leader who authentically delivers educational and cultural opportunities to students and adults within an organizational culture that fosters innovation, creativity, responsibility and integrity. Throughout Strickland’s distinguished career, he has been honored with numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to the arts and the community, including the coveted MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” award. The past several decades have been dedicated to maintaining successful relationships with prominent national foundations and political leaders who share his passion and vision for a healthier future.

MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE

Website: www.Bill-Strickland.com

One Man’s Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary By Bill Strickland with Vince Rause ccording to MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” award winner Bill Strickland, a successful life is not something you simply pursue, it is something that you create, moment by moment. Over the past 30 years, Bill Strickland has been transforming the lives of thousands of people through the creation of Manchester Bidwell, a jobs training center and community arts program. Working with corporations, community leaders, and schools, he and his staff strive to give disadvantaged kids and adults the opportunities and tools they need to envision and build better, brighter futures. Strickland believes that every one of us has the potential for remarkable achievement. Every one of us can accomplish the impossible in our lives if given the right inspiration and motivation to do so. Through lessons from his own life experiences, and those of countless others who have overcome their circumstances and turned their lives around, Make the Impossible Possible shows how all of us can build on our passions and strengths, dream bigger and set the bar higher, achieve meaningful success, and help mentor and inspire the lives of others.

Now in Paperback

Broadway Business | TR 978-0-385-52055-3 | 240pp. $14.00/$17.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

Selected for Common Reading Indiana University of Pennsylvania Winthrop University

www.CommonReads.com

“Straddling between both autobiographical and inspirational genre, the most exquisite beauty of this book is in its straightforward and heartfelt approach. There are so many imminently quotable lines you can draw from cover to cover. This is the kind of book you’d want to read over and over again, with a marker in hand to annotate it as you read, or with a pen and paper on the side to take down notes. Or even both. For as you share in the struggles and successes of Bill Strickland, Make The Impossible Possible is an inexhaustible wellspring of real-life inspiration.” —Sacramento Book Review “Bill Strickland’s story resonates beautifully with our mission as educators.” —Dr. Anthony J. DiGiorgio, President, Winthrop University

A Message from Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Germaine Watkins MCG Photography Studio Coordinator

Inspiration and Guidance

INSPIRATION AND GUIDANCE

May 2010

THE ONE-WEEK JOB PROJECT

Website: www.oneweekjob.com

One Man, One Year, 52 Jobs By Sean Aiken Like many others in his generation, Sean Aiken graduated from college and asked himself, “What should I do with my life?” Thus he started the One-Week Job project where he transformed his uncertainty about his future and traveled around the world working 52 jobs in 52 weeks. All his wages were donated to charity. Inventive and empowering, witty and wise, The One-Week Job Project is a book that will give students the courage to follow their passions. Do not order before 5/4/2010. Villard Books | TR | 978-0-345-50803-4 | 320pp. | $15.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson By Mitch Albom A National Bestseller and Top Adoption Title

Website: www.mitchalbom.com

After learning of his former professor’s terminal illness, Mitch Albom flew to Brandeis University, reunited with his old friend, and returned every Tuesday thereafter to visit with him. Morrie Schwartz turned these visits into one final “class”: a lesson in how to live. This book is a magical chronicle of Mitch and Morrie’s time together. Selected for Common Reading at Concordia University, SUNY—New Paltz, University of Buffalo, University of North Dakota, among other colleges. Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-0592-3 | 208pp. | $12.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book • Reader’s Guide

RECLAIMING VIRTUE How We Can Develop the Moral Intelligence to Do the Right Thing at the Right Time for the Right Reason

Website: www.johnbradshaw.com

By John Bradshaw John Bradshaw brings together a lifetime of experience and teaching to redefine virtue—how we learn it and live it—for our troubled times. Backed by ancient Greek philosophers and his lifelong study of human development to the most recent discoveries of neuroscience, Bradshaw shows that each of us has, what he calls, an inborn moral intelligence. Bantam | HC | 978-0-553-09592-0 | 528pp. | $26.00/$30.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Author Available

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE? The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question

Website: www.pobronson.com

By Po Bronson “What should I do with my life?” Author Po Bronson was asking himself that very question when he decided to write this book—an inspiring exploration of how people successfully transform their lives, and a template for how we can answer this question for ourselves. With humor, empathy, and insight, Bronson probes the depths of people who learned how to hear the whisper and overcame fear and confusion to find larger truths about their lives. This book includes nine new stories not included in the hardcover edition. “Brimming with stories of sacrifice, courage, commitment and, sometimes, failure, the book will support anyone pondering a major life choice or risk without force-feeding them pat solutions.” —Publishers Weekly Selected for Common Reading at Rutgers College and Sam Houston State University. Random House | TR | 978-0-375-75898-0 | 432pp. | $14.95/$22.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Ballantine | MM | 978-0-345-48592-2 | 464pp. | $7.99/$10.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

INSPIRATION AND GUIDANCE

April 2010

LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT

Website: www.peterbuffett.com

Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment By Peter Buffett Most people probably think that having billionaire investor Warren Buffett as a father makes life far from average. But, as his son Peter Buffett explains, an individual’s success has more to do with building personal character than simply using a family platform to get ahead. In Life Is What You Make It, Buffett, a musician, composer and philanthropist, shares the important lessons learned from his parents, an upbringing that focused on instilling honorable values as individuals in a community and what we are able to give back. Do not order before 4/27/2010. Harmony | HC | 224pp. | 978-0-307-46471-2 | $23.99/$27.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.00 Author Available • e-Book

April 2010

IF IT TAKES A VILLAGE, BUILD ONE

Website: www.angelrockproject.com

By Malaak Compton-Rock “Service is the rent we pay for living” says preeminent children’s advocate Marian Wright Edelman and this is the motto by which Malaak Compton-Rock lives her life. From a childhood grounded in the importance of giving back to her work in public relations at UNICEF to becoming a full-time mother and humanitarian, Malaak’s life has fully embodied this sentiment. In this book, she offers an uplifting chronicle of her “journey for change” and shows readers how and why they should embark on their own. “Malaak has taken her own life experiences with service, community and family and penned an important how-to for taking action and giving back. I’ve been fortunate to know her and to work with her, witnessing first-hand her dedication to helping others. If It Takes a Village, Build One is an empowering must-read for all of us working to make our communities, our country and our world a better place.” —Congresswoman Maxine Waters Do not order before 4/6/2010. Broadway | HC | 978-0-767-93170-0 | 304pp. | $23.99/$29.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.00 Author Available • e-Book

THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them

Website: www.freedomwritersfoundation.org

By The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell An uplifting true account of an idealistic 23-year-old teacher assigned to a room of ‘unreachable, at-risk’ students, The Freedom Writers Diary details a life-changing journey through ignorance and misunderstanding, and includes powerful excerpts from the students’ own diaries. This book is not only inspiring; it offers timely social commentary as well. Selected for Common Reading at Western New England College and Bloomsburg University. Main Street Books | TR | 978-0-385-49422-9 | 304pp. | $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available

THE WAY TO GOD By Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi became famous as the leader of the Indian independence movement, but he called himself, “a man of God disguised as a politician.” The Way to God demonstrates his enduring significance as a spiritual leader whose ideas offer insight and solace to seekers of every practice and persuasion. Collecting many of his most significant writings, the book explores the deep religious roots of Gandhi’s worldly accomplishments and reveals—in his own words—his intellectual, moral, and spiritual approaches to the divine. North Atlantic Books | TR | 978-1-55643-784-7 | 104pp. | $12.95/$14.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

Inspiration and Guidance

INSPIRATION AND GUIDANCE

ROADTRIP NATION: A Guide to Discovering Your Path In Life By Nathan Gebhard, Mike Marriner and Joanne Gordon In this engaging career guide, two recent college graduates travel the U.S. in an RV, in search of something other than a standard career path. From learning how to make cold calls to formulating stimulating interview questions, Roadtrip Nation gives readers practical advice on finding the vocations that work for them. This book, which includes interviews with 140 people who offer their own candid career stories, is ideal for students as they embark on their studies and prepare for their future occupations. Ballantine | TR | 978-0-345-49638-6 | 272pp. | $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

DO HARD THINGS A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Website: www.therebelution.com

By Alex Harris and Brett Harris In August 2005 Alex and Brett Harris started what is now the most popular Christian teen blog on the Internet. They describe the Rebelution as “a teenage rebellion against the low expectations of an ungodly culture.” Written by teens for teens, this is the handbook for teens who are rebelling against pervasive low expectations and reaching for their God-given potential. Filled with examples from the Bible, the authors’ personal experiences, and contemporary youth culture, this book will positively empower your teen. Multnomah Books | HC | 978-1-60142-112-8 | 256pp. | $17.99/$22.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $9.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

Also by Alex Harris and Brett Harris New

START HERE Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are

For more Waterbrook Multnomah books, go to: www.waterbrookmultnomah.com/

Do not order before 3/16/2010. Multnomah Books | TR | 978-1-60142-270-5 | 256pp. | $12.99/$15.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

PROMISES I MADE MY MOTHER By Sam Haskell and David Rensin Foreword by Ray Romano When Sam Haskell was young, his mother instilled in him the values of character, faith, and honor by setting an example and asking him to promise to live his life according to her lessons. In this inspiring memoir full of touching stories and amusing anecdotes, Haskell reveals how he kept his pledge to his mother to live a decent life—even in Hollywood, where he handled the hottest stars and packaged the highest-rated shows at the William Morris Agency—by refusing to become the cliché of an amoral agent. Haskell has achieved success through self-respect, and from his story we learn how we, too, can maintain our dignity when faced with life’s challenges. Ballantine Books | HC | 978-0-345-50655-9 | 272pp. | $24.00/$28.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.00 Author Available • e-Book

CHARACTER IS DESTINY Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember By John McCain with Mark Salter In Character Is Destiny, John McCain and Mark Salter tell the stories of celebrated historical figures and lesser-known heroes whose values exemplify the best of the human spirit. McCain illustrates these qualities with moving stories of triumph against the odds, righteousness in the face of iniquity, hope in adversity, and sacrifice for a cause greater than self-interest. Selected for Common Reading at DeSales College. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7445-4 | 336pp. | $15.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

INSPIRATION AND GUIDANCE

Now in Paperback

RESILIENCE Faith, Focus, Triumph By Alonzo Mourning with Dan Wetzel Whether petitioning himself into foster care as an 11-year-old, tirelessly studying his way onto the dean’s list at Georgetown University, making it as an all-star center in the NBA, or returning to peak form after organ-transplant surgery, Alonzo Mourning has shown enormous inner strength. His faith, determination, and courage are what have driven and sustained him throughout his extraordinary life. Ballantine | TR | 978-0-345-50750-1 | 272pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

THE LIFE YOU CAN SAVE

Website: www.thelifeyoucansave.com

Acting Now to End World Poverty By Peter Singer In The Life You Can Save, philosopher Peter Singer makes the irrefutable argument that giving will make a huge difference in the lives of others, without diminishing the quality of our own. This book is an urgent call to action and a hopeful primer on the power of compassion, when mixed with rigorous investigation and careful reasoning, to lift others out of despair. Random House | HC | 978-1-4000-6710-7 | 224pp. | $22.00/$25.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.00 e-Book

Now in Paperback

STANDING TALL A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph By C. Vivian Stringer with Laura Tucker “As much as I love basketball . . . it has always been a vehicle for me to instill values and selfrespect in the girls I coach . . . I am the last stop before the young women I coach take their place in society, and it is a responsibility I take seriously. My goal is to give them the confidence to dream big and the skills to overcome any challenges they face, whether it’s under the basket or in the boardroom.” —C. Vivian Stringer With nothing more than true grit, hard work, and a dream, this coalminer’s daughter became one of the winningest and most beloved coaches in basketball, and has shown countless young women that the impossible is possible. This is her extraordinary life story. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-40627-9 | 304pp. | $14.95/$16.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

New

YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles By Bruce Wilkinson The bestselling author of The Prayer of Jabez starts with the dramatic premise that everyone is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven.” In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which he is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a ‘Delivery Guy’ from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose, and spiritual growth. Readers will master seven simple tools of service, and come to say confidently, “I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today—and I expect to!” Multnomah Books | HC | 978-1-60142-182-1 | 240pp. | $22.99/$27.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.50 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

Inspiration and Guidance

Author Spotlight: Rebecca Skloot REBECCA SKLOOT teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Memphis. She has worked as a correspondent for NPR’s RadioLab and PBS’s Nova ScienceNOW, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine; O,The Oprah Magazine; Discover; Columbia Journalism Review, and elsewhere.

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS

Website: Rebeccaskloot.com

By Rebecca Skloot er name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells— taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions, with devastating consequences for her family. Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells, from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia— a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo— to East Baltimore today, where Henrietta’s children, unable to afford health insurance, wrestle with feelings of pride, fear, and betrayal.

H NEW

“This is an extraordinary book, haunting and beautifully told.” —Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation

A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick Crown | HC 978-1-4000-5217-2 | 384pp. $26.00/$32.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Audio edition • Author Available • e-Book

“What is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks really about? Science, African American culture and religion, intellectual property of human tissues, Southern history, medical ethics, civil rights, the overselling of medical advances? . . . The book’s broad scope would make it ideal for an institutionwide freshman year reading program.” —David J. Kroll, Professor and Chair, Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Carolina Central University “Skloot’s book is wonderful—deeply felt, gracefully written, sharply reported.” —Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief “An incredibly readable and smart text that should be a part of countless university discussions . . . Ethically fascinating and completely engaging—I couldn’t recommend it more.” —Deborah Blum, Helen Firstbrook Franklin professor of journalism, University of Wisconsin-Madison “A stunning illustration of how race, gender and disease intersect to produce a unique form of social vulnerability, this is a poignant, necessary and brilliant book.” —Alondra Nelson, Associate Professor of Sociology, Columbia University

www.CommonReads.com

A Message from Rebecca Skloot I first learned about HeLa cells and the woman behind them as a teenager sitting in a freshman biology class. I knew only fragments of her story, but those fragments inspired me to start asking questions— about science and mortality, bioethics, and how I’d feel if my own cells were used in research. I didn’t yet know that her cells had launched a multibillion dollar industry while her children lived in poverty, or that the cells had devastating consequences for the family. Henrietta’s story captures the imagination of students in any number of disciplines, including the sciences, medicine, African American studies, sociology, philosophy, law, bioethics, journalism, and creative writing. I’ve spoken about HeLa at schools around the country, where students are transfixed by the story. I tell them that if you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown on a scale they would weigh more than 100 Empire State Buildings, and that HeLa has been fused with mouse cells to create Henrietta-mouse hybrid cells. It’s the stuff of science fiction, but it’s true, and students love it. Combine that with the story of Henrietta’s family—a tale about science, religion, race, and class—and students’ reactions are powerful. During Q&As, the first question is usually, “Wasn’t it illegal to take her cells and use them in research without asking?” The answer is no—not in 1951, and not in 2010. Today, most Americans have their tissue on file somewhere through routine blood tests or biopsies. And since the late sixties, when testing newborns for genetic diseases became required by law, each baby born in the United States has had blood taken, and those samples are often stored and used by scientists. This means that the majority of college students in this country have tissues of their own being used in research, and neither they nor their parents likely realize it. As a college professor, I always look for books that bring together the many disparate fields that students will study throughout their careers, and that allow them to explore the real-world consequences of intellectual discoveries. Other professors tell me The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks does just that, bringing together health, community, family, ethics, religion, science, storytelling, history, business, law, and humanity. During the spring 2010 semester, I will be speaking about my book at more than sixty schools nationwide. As a regular guest speaker who’s also worked as a correspondent for radio and television, I understand the importance of being an engaging speaker, and my talks have been called “moving and engaging of both the heart and mind.” You can visit the schedule page of my website at RebeccaSkloot.com to see if I’ll be speaking at your school this spring, and you can contact me through the site. I look forward to visiting even more schools as part of their Freshman Experience Programs. As a college biology major, I couldn’t have imagined that Henrietta’s story would lead me to become a writer, or that writing this book would be a ten-year journey. There’s no telling what effect this story could have on students. I can’t wait to find out. Courtesy of Gopal Murti Courtesy of Gopal Murti

Courtesy of Tom Deerinck

HeLa cells take on a different appearance depending on the type of microscope and dye used to see them.

History and Society

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

THE MERCURY 13 The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight By Martha Ackmann In 1961, just as NASA launched its first man into space, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hopes of becoming America’s first female astronauts. They passed the same battery of tests as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill. A provocative tribute to these extraordinary women, The Mercury 13 is an unforgettable story of determination, resilience, and inextinguishable hope in the face of adversity. Selected for Common Reading at Eastern Kentucky University and University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, among other colleges. Random House | TR | 978-0-375-75893-5 | 280pp. | $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

ISLAM: A Short History By Karen Armstrong In this compact volume, Armstrong offers a thoughtful and engaging history of Islam, currently the world’s fastest-growing faith. Islam is an informative and provocative exploration of a history, a religion, and a culture which will inspire and inform discussions of current and historical events. Includes a new Epilogue by the author and a new pronunciation guide. “A valuable corrective to the hostile caricatures of Islam that circulate in the English-speaking world. . . . Engaging and provocative.” —The New York Times Modern Library | TR | 978-0-8129-6618-3 | 272pp. | $14.95/$21.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

Paperback April 2010

HOW TO WIN A COSMIC WAR

Website: www.rezaaslan.com

Confronting Religious Fundamentalism By Reza Aslan At a time when religion and politics increasingly share the same vocabulary and function in the same sphere, award-winning writer Reza Aslan writes that we must strip the conflicts of our world of their religious connotations and address the earthly grievances that always lie behind the cosmic impulse. “In this provocative and engaging book, Reza Aslan shows why he is one of America’s leading analysts of the confusing and frightening forces that confront us. It is Aslan’s great gift to see things clearly, and to say them clearly, and in this important new work he offers us a way forward.” —Jon Meacham, author of Pulitzer-Prize winning American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Random House | HC | 978-1-4000-6672-8 | 256pp. | $26.00/$30.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Do not order paperback before 4/6/2010. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7830-8 | 240pp. | $16.00/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

NO GOD BUT GOD

Website: www.rezaaslan.com

The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam By Reza Aslan “Beginning with an exploration of the religious climate in the years before the Prophet’s Revelation, Aslan traces the story of Islam from the Prophet’s life and the so-called golden age of the first four caliphs all the way through European colonization and subsequent independence. Aslan sees religion as a story, and he tells it that way, bringing each successive century to life with the kind of vivid details and like-you-were-there, present-tense narration that makes popular history popular. . . . this is an excellent overview that doubles as an impassioned call to reform.” —Booklist Random House | TR | 0-8129-7189-2 | 336pp. | $14.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

NOBODIES Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy By John Bowe In Nobodies, John Bowe travels from the agricultural quagmires of Florida to the factories and brothels of Saipan, filing a first-hand report on the working conditions that our government and our corporations depend on but are trying their best to ignore. Bowe delivers a sobering look at the moral costs of the cheap goods—from orange juice to cutrate fashions—to which our economy has grown so accustomed. This is rich and vibrant reporting—not a polemic but a presentation of things as they are on the underside of American commerce. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7184-2 | 336pp. | $15.00/$17.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

SWAY: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior

Website: www.swaybook.com

By Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman

Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, this engaging book reveals dynamic forces that influence every aspect of our personal and business lives, including loss aversion (our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (our inability to reevaluate our initial diagnosis of a person or situation), and the “chameleon effect” (our tendency to take on characteristics that have been arbitrarily assigned to us). A riveting look at the hidden psychological influences that derail our decision-making, Sway will change the way readers think about the way they think, and provoke fascinating discussions. Broadway Business | TR | 978-0-385-53060-6 | 224pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

ECOTOPIA

Website: www.ernestcallenbach.com

By Ernest Callenbach In the tradition of Huxley, Orwell, and Verne, Callenbach’s controversial and thoughtprovoking novel describes a future in which the West Coast states have seceded to form Ecotopia, their own environmentally-sound nation. “Callenbach gives us a vivid, comprehensive, positive vision of an ecologically sustainable world. Essential reading for all who care about the earth’s future.” —Fritjof Capra, author of The Tao of Physics and The Turning Point Selected for Common Reading at Muskingum College. Bantam | TR | 978-0-553-34847-7 | 192pp. | $16.00/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

FACTORY GIRLS From Village to City in a Changing China By Leslie T. Chang Former Wall Street Journal Beijing correspondent Leslie Chang investigates the lives of female Chinese migrant workers—an enormous and growing population upon whom much of the world’s economic growth depends. A book of global significance that provides new insight into China, Factory Girls demonstrates how the mass movement from rural villages to cities is remaking individual lives and transforming Chinese society, much as immigration to America’s shores remade our own country a century ago. “Chang’s deeply affecting book tells the story of the invisible foot soldiers who made China’s stirring rise possible.” —The New York Times Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52018-8 | 448pp. | $16.00/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

History and Society

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

New

SONIC BOOM: Globalization at Mach Speed

Website: www.greggeasterbrook.com

By Gregg Easterbrook With a terrific sense of humor, pitch-perfect reporting, and clear, elegant prose, Gregg Easterbrook explains why economic recovery is on the horizon, but why the next phase of global change will also be problematic. First, he contends that the world is about to become far more globally linked. Second, the next wave of global change will be primarily positive: Economic prosperity, knowledge and freedom will increase more in the next 50 years than in all of human history to this point. But before you celebrate, Easterbrook warns that the next phase of global change is going to drive us crazy. Most things will be good for most people—but nothing will seem certain for anyone. Random House | HC | 978-1-4000-6395-6 | 272pp. | $26.00/$32.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Author Available • e-Book

THE PROGRESS PARADOX

Website: www.greggeasterbrook.com

How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse By Gregg Easterbrook Author Gregg Easterbrook details how the rise of technology in the Western world has led to vast social improvements on nearly every front, from extending life spans to spreading literacy and wealth. However, concurrent with these trends is the widespread belief that, according to research and anecdotal evidence, most people feel less ‘happy’ and content than in previous generations. The reasons behind this technology-spawned paradox, and a useful method for resolving it, are explored in this timely and nuanced book. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7303-7 | 400pp. | $14.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

FAREWELL, MY SUBARU: An Epic Adventure in Local Living By Doug Fine

Website: www.dougfine.com

Did you know it takes more water to sustain a vegetable crop in New Mexico for a year than it would to sustain a Bangladeshi village of 500? Did you know almost all components of a solar-powered water pump are made in Japan or Denmark? Did you know it takes 16,000 gallons of jet fuel to fly an organic banana from Honduras to Silver City, New Mexico? Neither did Doug Fine. Farewell, My Subaru is the hilarious and inspirational account of a Long Island suburbanite’s attempt to go green—extreme green—in the middle of nowhere New Mexico. Selected for Common Reading at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Villard Books | HC | 978-1-4000-6644-5 | 224pp. | $24.00/$28.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.00 Do not order paperback before 3/24/2010. Villard | TR | 978-0-8129-7789-9 | 224pp. | $15.00/$17.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

THE INNOCENT MAN

Website: www.jgrisham.com

By John Grisham In 1982, a 21-year-old waitress in Ada, Oklahoma named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected former local baseball star, Ron Williamson, and his friend, Dennis Fritz, whom they wound up charging with capital murder. With the prosecution’s case built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts, Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence, and Williamson was sent to death row. This book is a disturbing account of the very real flaws in the criminal justice system and a must-read for those interested in law, justice, and bureaucracy. Selected for Common Reading at Greensboro College. Dell | MM | 978-0-440-24383-0 | 448pp. | $7.99/$11.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Delta | TR | 978-0-385-34091-5 | 400pp. | $16.00/$20.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition

www.CommonReads.com

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

THE SHAME OF THE NATION The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America By Jonathan Kozol Over the past several years, Jonathan Kozol has visited nearly 60 public schools. Virtually everywhere, he has found that conditions have grown worse for inner-city children in the 15 years since federal courts began dismantling the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. In The Shame of the Nation, Kozol makes a powerful and persuasive argument that America needs to finally face the ongoing problems with its urban schools. Filled with the passionate voices of children and their teachers, and some of the most revered and trusted leaders in the black community, The Shame of the Nation is a triumph of firsthand reporting. “Segregation is back, and only a writer of Jonathon Kozol’s wisdom and passion can assess its terrible price, one child at a time. It isn’t easy, but before we can craft a solution, we have to feel the shame.” —Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-1-4000-5245-5 | 432pp. | $14.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

THE HARDBALL HANDBOOK: How to Win at Life By Chris Matthews With his more than 40 years of experience observing people and politicians in our nation’s capital—ten of those years on Hardball, five nights a week—Chris Matthews has learned from the pros what it takes to be a success. Now, Matthews shows readers what we can learn from the world’s most accomplished people and, more important, how we can emulate their best habits to improve our own lives. Written in the assertive, good-natured style that is Matthews’s trademark, he focuses on four areas—friendship, rivalry, reputation, and success—and shows how we can cull the best traits of others and use them ourselves. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7597-0 | 224pp. | $15.00/$17.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

INHERITING THE HOLY LAND An American’s Search for Hope in the Middle East By Jennifer Miller Writing with fierce honesty, Jennifer Miller has created an extraordinary synthesis of history, reportage, and coming-of-age memoir in Inheriting the Holy Land. Her groundbreaking perspective on the conflict is presented through interviews with young Israelis and Palestinians and conversations with some of the most influential officials involved in the Middle East, including Shimon Peres, Yasir Arafat, James Baker, Benjamin Netanyahu, Colin Powell, Ehud Barak, and Mahmoud Abbas. This book will open eyes, open hearts, and open minds. Selected for Common Reading at Dartmouth College. Ballantine | TR | 978-0-345-46925-0 | 320pp. | $14.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

THE BOTANY OF DESIRE

Website: www.michaelpollan.com

A Plant’s-Eye View of the World By Michael Pollan “Pollan shines a light on our own nature as well as on our implication in the natural world.” —The New York Times “[Pollan] has a wide-ranging intellect, an eager grasp of evolutionary biology and a subversive streak that helps him to root out some wonderfully counterintuitive points. His prose both shimmers and snaps, and he has a knack for finding perfect quotes in the oddest places. . . . Best of all, Pollan really loves plants.” —The New York Times Book Review Selected for Common Reading at Assumption College and Bellevue Community College. Random House | TR | 978-0-375-76039-6 | 304pp. | $13.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

History and Society

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

Now in Paperback

THE DAY THE EARTH CAVED IN: An American Mining Tragedy By Joan Quigley Beginning on Valentine’s Day, 1981, when 12-year-old Todd Domboski plunged through the earth in his grandmother’s backyard in Centralia, Pennsylvania, here is an unprecedented and riveting account of the nation’s worst mine fire. Drawing on interviews with key participants and exclusive new research, award-winning journalist Joan Quigley, the granddaughter of Centralia miners, ushers readers into the dramatic world of the underground blaze, and paints unforgettable portraits of Centralia and its residents. Like Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action, The Day the Earth Caved In is a seminal investigation of individual rights, corporate privilege, and governmental indifference to the powerless. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7130-9 | 288pp. | $16.00/$19.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

New

BORDER CROSSER: One Gringo’s Illicit Passage from Mexico into America By Johnny Rico After risking his life as an Afghanistan stop-loss soldier, an experience he described in Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green, Johnny Rico now dares to embed himself on both sides of America’s most dangerous domestic conflict—the war for and against illegal immigration— in an exhilarating new exercise in immersion journalism. As a “typically spoiled American” who doesn’t speak a lick of Spanish, he attempts to cross the Mexican border into the United States illegally. Eager to tell the story from all sides, Rico also travels treacherously with the Border Patrol, meets extreme immigrant advocates who publish maps for illegals, visits a modern-day “underground railroad” in Texas, and hunts for miscreants with angry vigilantes. Ballantine Books | HC | 978-0-345-50383-1 | 288pp. | $26.00/$30.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

AMERICAN BUFFALO In Search of a Lost Icon

To read author’s essay about why his book engages students, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ydf9wks

By Steven Rinella In 2005, Steven Rinella won a lottery permit to hunt for a wild buffalo in the Alaskan wilderness. Despite the great odds, Rinella managed to kill one and raft the meat back to civilization while being trailed by grizzly bears and suffering from hypothermia. American Buffalo is a narrative tale of Rinella’s hunt—as well as the story of the many ways in which the buffalo has shaped our national identity. Both a captivating narrative and a book of environmental and historical significance, this fascinating examination of an animal that has haunted the American imagination tells us as much about ourselves as Americans as it does about the creature who best embodies the American ethos. Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-385-52169-7 | 304pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Paperback March 2010

NO RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT

Website: lucindaroy.net

The Tragedy at Virginia Tech By Lucinda Roy No Right to Remain Silent offers a unique, inside perspective on the Virginia Tech tragedy that raises urgent questions about the safety of our undergraduate institutions and the responsibility of higher education. By reading about the laws, policies, behavior, and security protocols that need to be addressed, students will be more knowledgeable about matters that so directly and vastly impact their lives on campus. Harmony | HC | 978-0-307-40963-8 | 336pp. | $25.00/$28.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Do not order paperback before 3/30/2010. Harmony | TR | 978-0-307-58770-1 | 336pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

Now in Paperback

HEIRLOOM Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer By Tim Stark Heirloom is not just a success story of a government consultant turned organic farmer; Tim Stark brings rich detail and rueful humor full of passionate affection for the land and people to his wonderful book. And his stories of the triumphs (fleeting and infrequent) and tribulations (constant and numerous) of the farming life are ironically entertaining and instructive. In a time which, more than ever, we are concerned about what we eat and where it comes from, and about the support of local, sustainable, human-scale agriculture, this book could not be more pertinent—to our diets and to our American identity. Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-2707-9 | 240pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Paperback May 2010

THE BLACK SWAN The Impact of the Highly Improbable By Nassim Nicholas Taleb A black swan is a highly improbable event that is unpredictable, carries a massive impact, and later appears more predictable than it was. For Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about our world, from the rise of religions to events in our own personal lives. Why do we not acknowledge these black swans until after they occur? According to Taleb, humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focused on generalities. We concentrate on things we already know and repeatedly fail to consider what we don’t know. We are, therefore, unable to truly estimate opportunities; too vulnerable to the impulse to simplify, narrate, and categorize; and not open enough to rewarding those brave enough to imagine the “impossible.” Selected for Wellesley Reads 2010 Random House | HC | 978-1-4000-6351-2 | 400pp. | $28.00/$35.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $14.00 Do not order paperback before 5/11/2010. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7381-5 | 400pp. | $17.00/$20.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME

Soon to be a Feature Film

A True Story By Timothy B. Tyson Winner, Grawemeyer Award for Religion 2007 A 2004 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist A New York Public Library Book to Remember

In the tradition of To Kill a Mockingbird, Blood Done Sign My Name is a classic work of conscience. Tim Tyson’s riveting narrative of a fiery summer of racial conflict and one family’s struggle to build bridges in a time of destruction is a complex rendering of a true story, in which violence and faith, courage and evil, despair and hope all mingle to powerful effect. “Blood Done Sign My Name is a most important book and one of the most powerful meditations on race in America that I have ever read.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer Selected for Common Reading at Furman University, Queens University of Charlotte, University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin at Richland, University of Wisconsin’s College of Letters and Science, and Villanova University. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-1-4000-8311-4 | 368pp. | $14.00/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

History and Society

HISTORY AND SOCIETY

EVOLUTION FOR EVERYONE How Darwin’s Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives By David Sloan Wilson 2007 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Magazine (American Library Association) “Evolution for Everyone is a remarkable contribution. No other author has managed to combine mastery of the subject with such a clear and interesting explanation of what it all means for human self-understanding. Aimed at the general reader, yet peppered with ideas original enough to engage scholars, it is truly a book for our time.” —Edward O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of On Human Nature Delta | TR | 978-0-385-34092-2 | 400pp. | $15.00/$20.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

COVERING The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights By Kenji Yoshino Winner, 2006 Myers Outstanding Book Award Winner, 2006 American Educational Studies Association Critics’ Choice Award

In Covering, one of the country’s most brilliant young legal scholars fashions a new paradigm of civil rights. Drawing on his experiences as a gay Japanese American, Yale Law Professor Kenji Yoshino argues that the culturally sanctioned suppression of our authentic selves is a harm from which the law should sometimes protect us. More profoundly, he claims that law will be less important to the civil rights of the future than a common culture of authenticity. A moving memoir and a penetrating analysis of today’s cultural mores, Yoshino’s lucid prose is accessible and thought-provoking. “Yoshino argues convincingly in this book that covering is going to become more and more a civil rights issue as the nation (and the nation’s courts) struggle with an increasingly multiethnic America.” —San Francisco Chronicle Selected for Common Reading at Pomona College, Yale University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Random House | TR | 978-0-375-76021-1 | 304pp. | $15.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

THE LUCIFER EFFECT Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

Websites: www.zimbardo.com www.prisonexperiment.org

By Philip Zimbardo Winner, the William James Book Award of the Society for General Psychology (Division 1 of the American Psychological Association)

In The Lucifer Effect, Philip Zimbardo—creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment —tells the full story of this landmark study, in which a group of college-student volunteers was randomly divided into “guards” and “inmates” and then placed in a mock prison environment. Within a week, the study was abandoned, as ordinary college students were transformed into either brutal, sadistic guards or emotionally broken prisoners. Illuminating the psychological causes behind such disturbing metamorphoses, Zimbardo enables us to better understand a variety of harrowing phenomena, from corporate malfeasance to organized genocide to the abuse and torture in Abu Ghraib. He presents an engrossing study of how situational forces and group dynamics can make monsters out of decent men and women. Selected for Common Reading at University of Maine. Random House | TR | 978-0-8129-7444-7 | 576pp. | $18.00/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

www.CommonReads.com

Two Essential Books for New College Students LECTURE NOTES A Professor’s Inside Guide to College Success

April 2010

By Philip Freeman, Ph.D. “College is hard, but the rules for college success are simple. The trick is, even though they are simple in theory, they are often very difficult in practice. But here’s my college professor’s guarantee: If you consistently and conscientiously follow these rules, you will ace your courses, impress your friends and family, and have prospective employers or graduate schools begging you to walk through their doors.” So begins Philip Mitchell Freeman’s Lecture Notes, a practical primer from a veteran college professor and respected historian for every incoming college student on how to successfully transition from high school to the halls of academe. Professor Freeman outlines the benefits for students in developing appropriate mentoring relationships with teachers, explains how they may foster these crucial relationships and get the best from their professors, and demystifies faculty hierarchy by revealing who makes a good choice, who is a waste of time, and why. In addition, straightforward, no-nonsense study strategies, including how to read a book, when to start a paper, and why it is smart for students to show up for class round out this little gem of a book. Do not order before 4/6/2010. Ten Speed Press | TR |978-1-5800-8754-4 | 160pp. $14.99/$18.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

COLLEGE RULES! How to Study, Survive, and Succeed in College By Sherrie Nist-Olejnik and Jodi Patrick Holschuh This completely revised guide to college success educates students in the basic college survival skills that professors don’t teach, such as how to study, take tests, balance school and social life, and more. This funspirited crash course in the rules of college provides tools to equip students for a lifetime of learning, and includes three completely new chapters on research papers, theories of learning, and Q&As, as well as helpful sidebars featuring study tips, information for nontraditional students, and more. Iowa State University will be using College Rules! for an upcoming Academic Skills Seminar course in the Fall and Spring Semesters. Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-5800-8838-1 | 320pp. $14.95/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

Life and College Guides

Author Spotlight: Chip Heath and Dan Heath CHIP HEATH is a professor of organizational behavior in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. DAN HEATH, a former researcher at Harvard Business School, is now a Senior Fellow at Duke University's CASE Center, which supports social entrepreneurs.

Websites: www.heathbrothers.com • www.madetostick.com • www.madetostick.com/blog

SWITCH How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

NEW

By Chip Heath and Dan Heath This compelling narrative about the difficulty in bringing about genuine, lasting change—in ourselves and in others—especially when one has few resources and no title or authority, is a riveting read that will change lives. Combining psychology, sociology, management, and case studies from a host of different fields, the authors tell countless stories of people and organizations successfully creating significant change, from the graduate who transformed the diets and nutrition of poor families in rural Vietnam—using what the authors call finding Bright Spots—to breaking bigger goals down into more manageable steps—what the authors call Small Steps. Broadway Business | HC | 978-0-385-52875-7 | 320pp. $26.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $13.00 Audio Edition • Authors Available • e-Book

MADE TO STICK Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die By Chip Heath and Dan Heath Updated, with a new chapter Why do some ideas thrive while others die? And how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? Here, accomplished business educators Chip and Dan Heath tackle head-on these vexing questions, in a book that will transform the way we communicate ideas. As the Heaths reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick, they also explain ways to make ideas stickier. Made to Stick shows us the vital principles of winning ideas, and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick—even offering advice for educators on how to make their lessons stick with students. Random House | HC | 978-1-4000-6428-1 | 336pp. $26.00/$32.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Audio Edition • Authors Available • e-Book • Teacher’s Guide

www.CommonReads.com

LIFE AND COLLEGE GUIDES

THE IDENTITY CODE

Ideal for First-Year Orientation

The 8 Essential Questions for Finding Your Purpose and Place in the World By Larry Ackerman

In this passionate and provocative book, Larry Ackerman shows students how to discover their true purpose in life by better understanding their own identities. Ackerman’s solution takes the form of eight penetrating questions, which allow students to carefully consider their own personalities, beliefs, and goals. The questions are accompanied by engaging stories and concrete exercises to guide students in their introspection. Selected for Common Reading at Manchester College. Random House | HC | 978-1-4000-6417-5 | 208pp. | $21.95/$29.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $11.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

ASK FOR IT How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want By Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever

To read the authors’ essay about what teachers and students can learn from their book, go to: http://tinyurl.com/y8a9odt

Drawing from the stories of real women, the authors present an innovative approach to negotiation that explains how women can identify important goals, and takes them step-bystep through the entire planning and preparation process, while offering strategic advice on the negotiation stage—with tips on managing emotions, confidence-building techniques, and the implementation of an effective collaborative style. Bantam | TR | 978-0-553-38455-0 | 336pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

New

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? 2010 A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers By Richard N. Bolles Streamlined this year to help those struggling in these difficult economic times acquire the job-search tools they need faster and more efficiently, this perennial bestseller is not only about finding a job in hard times; it is about finding your passion. By exploring dozens of important questions, career guru Richard N. Bolles leads job-hunters to find meaningful work. In the words of Fortune magazine: “What Color Is Your Parachute? remains the gold standard of career guides.” Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-5800-8987-6 | 336pp. | $18.99/$23.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? FOR TEENS Discovering Yourself, Defining Your Future By Carol Christen, with Richard N. Bolles, and Jean M. Blomquist Written for young adults, with simpler, more direct language, the teen Parachute teaches high school and college students to zero in on their favorite skills and then to apply that knowledge to finding their perfect college major or job. A significant addition to the Parachute Library, this book will provide guidance and inspiration to a whole new generation of job seekers. Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-580-08713-1 | 176pp. | $14.99/$18.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

Also Available

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? WORKBOOK, REVISED EDITION By Richard N. Bolles Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-58008-729-2 | 48pp. | $9.99/$12.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

Life and College Guides

LIFE AND COLLEGE GUIDES

New

THE OVERNIGHT RESUMÉ, 3RD EDITION The Fastest Way to Your Next Job By Donald Asher A step-by-step approach to resumé writing for all career stages and most educational backgrounds that shows job seekers how to develop and craft a focused, successful resumé in one sitting. Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-580-08091-0 | 144pp. | $12.99/$15.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

HOW TO GET ANY JOB, 2ND EDITION Career Launch and Re-Launch for Everyone Under 30 (or How to Avoid Living in Your Parents’ Basement) By Donald Asher Donald Asher, America’s career guru, believes that success comes from an alignment of passion and preparation. In this book, he counsels college job seekers on the essential steps for aligning personal career goals with available job opportunities and explains how to translate a major into a job that places an emphasis on achieving balanced life goals over career advancement. Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-5800-8947-0 | 240pp. | $15.99/$19.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

April 2010

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job By Emily Bennington and Skip Lineberg Filled with good wisdom, this is a savvy handbook for ambitious new graduates and firsttime employees who want to market themselves as top performers and get on their employers’ fast track, with advice on initial skills, tasks, and milestones in the first year on the job. Do not order before 4/13/2010. Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-5800-8999-9 | 256pp. | $14.99/$18.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

THE JOB-HUNTER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE How to Find Hope and Rewarding Work, Even When “There Are No Jobs” By Richard N. Bolles Never has his advice been more sought than during these brutal economic times. Bolles has responded by writing a completely new book: The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide, designed particularly for people who are job-hunting—or who are trying to figure out what to do with their life. Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-5800-8026-2 | 112pp. | $9.99/$12.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

THE WORKING LIFE The Promise and Betrayal of Modern Work By Joanne B. Ciulla In The Working Life, scholar and ethics professor Joanne Ciulla examines what “work” has come to mean in the new “Information Age”; how it has come to take a new, and allencompassing, providence over the average American’s life; and what factors have transformed the relationship between the company and the employee from one of mutual loyalty and trust to one of insecurity, transience, and deceit. The Working Life is an informative and thought-provoking book for this country’s future workforce. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-609-80737-8 | 288pp. | $13.95/$19.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

www.CommonReads.com

LIFE AND COLLEGE GUIDES

SHOWING UP FOR LIFE Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime By Bill Gates, Sr. and Mary Ann Mackin Foreword by Bill Gates Through a wide-ranging arpeggio of stories and anecdotes, lessons and insights, inveterate do-gooder Bill Gates, Sr.—lawyer, activist, husband, father, philanthropist—conveys the values and principles he’s learned in life, has instilled in his children, and which he now practices on a world stage as the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Doubleday | HC | 978-0-385-52701-9 | 208pp. | $23.95/$27.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.00 Do not order paperback before 5/11/2010. Broadway Business | TR | 978-0-385-52702-6 | 208pp. | $13.99/$16.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

New

WHAT DO YOU SAY WHEN . . . Talking to People with Confidence on Any Social or Business Occasion By Florence Isaacs The art of conversation is a necessary skill for navigating life’s social and business occasions, and with practice, anyone can develop the ability to easily talk to people. A smart, useful tool that helps you assess all situations and approach people with confidence, here is a complete guide to conversation in a variety of circumstances. It teaches the basics, plus offers helpful rules that work anywhere and with anyone. Also covered are can’t-fail conversation openers and strategies for expanding conversation and getting to know casual social or business contacts better. Filled with examples, ideas, and practical advice, What Do You Say When . . . helps you master one of life’s most essential skills. Clarkson Potter | HC | 978-0-307-40528-9 | 160pp. | $18.00/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $9.00 e-Book

IMPROV WISDOM Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up By Patricia Ryan Madson Improv Wisdom shows how to apply the maxims of improvisational theater to real-life challenges—whether it’s dealing with a demanding boss, a tired child, or one of life’s unceasing surprises. Patricia Madson distills 30 years of experience into 13 simple strategies, including “Say Yes,” “Start Anywhere,” “Face the Facts,” and “Make Mistakes, Please,” helping readers to loosen up, think on their feet, and take on everything life has to offer with skill, chutzpah, and a sense of humor. Harmony/Bell Tower | HC | 978-1-4000-8188-2 | 160pp. | $16.00/$23.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $8.00 Author Available

CRACKING CREATIVITY The Secrets of Creative Genuis By Michael Michalko In this trailblazing book, internationally renowned business creativity expert Michael Michalko shows how creative people think—and how to put their secrets to work for you. To create this book, Michalko researched and analyzed hundreds of history’s greatest thinkers—from Leonardo da Vinci to Pablo Picasso—and then brought their techniques into the modern home and workplace. Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-5800-8311-9 | 320pp. | $19.99/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

Life and College Guides

LIFE AND COLLEGE GUIDES

THINKERTOYS A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques By Michael Michalko In this revised and expanded edition of his groundbreaking book, creativity expert Michael Michalko reveals life-changing tools that will help students think like geniuses, and approach problems in unconventional ways. Through fun and thought-provoking exercises, students will learn how to create original ideas that will improve their academic, personal, and business lives. Michalko’s techniques show how we may look at the same information as everyone else and see something different. With hundreds of hints, tricks, tips, tales, and puzzles, Thinkertoys will open students’ minds to a world of innovative solutions to everyday and not-so-everyday problems “Designed to change the way you think.” —Wall Street Journal “Shows you how to expand your imagination.” —Newsweek Ten Speed Press | TR | 978-1-58008-773-5 | 416pp. | $19.95/$24.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

SUCCESS Advice for Achieving Your Goals from Remarkably Accomplished People Edited by Jena Pincott Success is a collection of insights from more than 400 remarkably successful people in all fields—including business, politics, entertainment, and the arts. The high achievers quoted in the book share one crucial belief: Success is possible as long as there’s passion. Students who know where they want to be—but do not how to get there— will find an ideal guide in Success. Random House Reference | HC | 978-0-375-42589-9 | 256pp. | $14.95/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $7.50 e-Book

New

GUIDE TO COLLEGE MAJORS, 2010 EDITION By Princeton Review Choosing an undergraduate major is a difficult decision that impacts a student’s college years and future career path. Guide to College Majors is fully revised and updated to include the most current information possible on more than 350 of the most popular majors. Every profile of a major includes: • An overview of the major • Career options and salary potential information • Tips on the best high school prep work • Sample college curriculum for the major • Fun facts and interesting trivia Princeton Review | TR | 978-0-375-42969-9 | 816pp. | $21.00/$25.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

New

PAYING FOR COLLEGE WITHOUT GOING BROKE, 2010 EDITION By Princeton Review This is a thoroughly revised and updated edition that reflects the current economic uncertainties to take the stress, confusion, and guess-work out of applying for financial aid. It also shows students and parents how to improve their chances of receiving aid by planning ahead and calculating their aid eligibility before applying to college. Includes the latest financial aid forms and lists of annual changes in tax laws. Princeton Review | TR | 978-0-375-42942-2 | 352pp. | $20.00/$23.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

www.CommonReads.com

LIFE AND COLLEGE GUIDES

DARE TO PREPARE How to Win Before You Begin By Ronald M. Shapiro and Gregory Jordan Ron Shapiro will teach your students how to get long-term results in our short-term world using eight disciplines of preparation, including: understanding objectives, utilizing precedents to help understand circumstances and obstacles, knowing alternatives, and setting strategy after goals are assembled. This is a perfect book for teaching students the organizational and other life skills necessary to succeed in college and in life. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-45180-4 | 304pp. | $14.95/$16.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available â&#x20AC;˘ e-Book

Also Available:

FROM PRINCETON REVIEW These unique and informative guides direct students to career paths that will make the most of their educational backgrounds. It includes chapters on further academic study, fellowship opportunities, and understanding career options, as well as practical and detailed job search tips and strategies.

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR ENGLISH OR COMMUNICATIONS DEGREE By Princeton Review Princeton Review | TR | 978-0-375-76624-4 | 304pp. | $13.95/$17.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HISTORY OR POLITICAL SCIENCE DEGREE By Princeton Review Princeton Review | TR | 978-0-375-76626-8 | 320pp. | $13.95/$17.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR PSYCHOLOGY OR SOCIOLOGY DEGREE By Princeton Review Princeton Review | TR | 978-0-375-76625-1 | 304pp. | $13.95/$17.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

Win Free Books. Get News. See What Others Are Reading. Visit: www.commonreads.com

Life and College Guides

Author Spotlight: John Francis, Ph.D. JOHN FRANCIS, PH.D. is the Founder and Director of Planetwalk, a nonprofit environmental education organization. He travels around the world speaking on pilgrimage and change, and on Planetlines, an environmental studies curriculum based on the walking pilgrimage, which he is developing for K-12 schools and universities.

PLANETWALKER

Website: www.planetwalk.org

22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence. By John Francis, Ph.D. 2007 Gold Winner—Nautlilus Book Awards in the categories of Ecology/Environment and Independent Press hen the struggle to save oil-soaked birds and restore blackened beaches left him feeling frustrated and helpless, John Francis decided to take a more fundamental and personal stand—he stopped using all forms of motorized transportation. Soon after embarking on this quest that would span two decades and two continents, the young man took a vow of silence that endured for 17 years. It began as a silent environmental protest, but as a young African American man, walking across the country in the early 1970s, his idea of “the environment” expanded beyond concern about pollution and loss of habitat to include how we humans treat each other and how we can better communicate and work together to benefit the earth. Through his silence and walking, Francis learned to listen, and along the way earned college and graduate degrees in science and environmental studies. The United Nations appointed him goodwill ambassador to the world’s grassroots communities, and the U.S. government recruited him to help address the Exxon Valdez disaster. Was he crazy? How did he live and earn all those degrees without talking? An amazing human-interest story with a vital message, Planetwalker is also a deeply personal and engaging coming-of-age odyssey—the positive experiences, the challenging times, the characters encountered, and the learning gained along the way.

W Now in Paperback

National Geographic | TR 978-1-4262-0405-0 | 288pp. $16.95/$20.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

Selected for Common Reading Marian University, WI Tarleton State University University of South Carolina Upstate

www.CommonReads.com

Excerpt On January 17, 1971, I witnessed a crude oil spill of nearly a half-million gallons in the waters near the Golden Gate Bridge. The oil spill was my first experience with a major environmental insult. As I drove my car over the Golden Gate I felt some responsibility for the mess washing up onto the shore. It was nearly a year afterwards, still feeling this responsibility, that I gave up the use of motorized vehicles and started walking. My community took note. Then to end the almost constant bickering and arguments with my friends as to the question of whether one person walking could make a difference, I stopped speaking and spent a day in silence. My life altered. As that day of silence stretched out before me, I realized I had begun a pilgrimage, an outer and inner journey, walking and sailing around-the-world, as part of my education dedicated to raise environmental consciousness, and promote earth stewardship and world peace. ***** Leaving my Northern California home in 1983, I walked in silence across the United States. During my silent walk I studied the environment formally in institutions of higher learning and informally on the trails, roads, and highways that stretched throughout the villages, towns, and cities across America. When I started learning about the environment, it was the pollution of an oil spill that prompted me to action. Later I learned there were other issues besides pollution that demanded attention, like overpopulation, and the loss of species and habitat. People talked and organizations worked on issues of conservation, restoration, preserving wilderness and now climate change. Yet, as important as those issues are, listening from my silence, environment for me became more. In this scenario people are part of the environment, not just caretakers, and we are at the core of our environmental troubles. Environment then, is also about human and civil rights, economic equity, gender equality, and from the standpoint of a pilgrim on the road, environment is about how we treat each other when we meet each other. ***** How I came to be on this journey, as well as the meaning of pilgrimage for me, and society, is the subject of this book. Of course, we are all pilgrims of one kind or another and I hope that my story will help you begin, complete, or enhance your own pilgrimage. I use the pages from my daily journals to look back. This is how it begins. Excerpted from PlanetWalker by John Francis Copyright © 2008 by John Francis. Excerpted by permission of National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Praise for Planetwalker “It’s a remarkably insightful, poetic, and inspiring story, one that’s sure to make readers think more carefully about their own styles of living.” —Booklist “Planetwalker is an inspiring story that will make teens think and may help them to realize that global change is possible through individual action.” —School Library Journal “First John Francis stopped riding in cars. Then he stopped talking. More than three decades, two continent-spanning hikes, and countless trail miles later, he’s still following his remarkable path of protest— only now he’s not alone.” —Backpacker Magazine “Francis took himself all across America, across the world, and back. And he took himself to a place where one man could truly and remarkably make a mighty difference.” —American Way Magazine

Go Green

Author Spotlight: Daniel Goleman DANIEL GOLEMAN is the author of the international bestsellers, Emotional Intelligence, Working with Emotional Intelligence, and Social Intelligence, and the coauthor of the acclaimed business bestseller Primal Leadership. He was a science reporter for The New York Times, was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and received the American Psychological Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his media writing. Ecological Intelligence was profiled as one of Time magazine’s “10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now.” Read the story at: www.tinyurl.com/ad69hr

ECOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything By Daniel Goleman cological Intelligence draws on cutting-edge research to reveal why “green is a mirage,” illuminates inconsistencies in our response to the ecological crisis, and introduces new technologies that reveal with “radical transparency” the ecoimpact of products we buy, with the potential to drive consumers to make smarter decisions and companies to reform their business practices. Ecological Intelligence has been selected for Virginia Tech’s Common Book Project for the 2009–10 academic year.

“Drawing on his capacious intelligence, Daniel Goleman dissects the issues involved in the attainment of long-term sustainability and details promising and intriguing solutions. Once again, he has written an essential book.” —Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Broadway Business | HC 978-0-385-52782-8 | 288pp. $26.00/$30.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $13.00 Author Available • e-Book

Do not order paperback before 3/30/2010. Broadway Business | TR 978-0-385-52783-5 | 304pp. $16.00/$19.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

“The theme of ecological awareness and environmental sustainability emerged as we considered a variety of books. The selection committee felt that such a theme would offer many options for engagement and use of the book across all colleges and disciplines. It could connect with new university efforts in the area of heightened environmental awareness and action and provide opportunities to facilitate community service options for students and faculty.” —Ron Daniel, associate provost for undergraduate education, Virginia Tech “Students, faculty, and staff at MIT found Daniel Goleman's lecture highly thought-provoking and stimulating. His message was simultaneously vexing and daunting as well as hopeful and optimistic. . . . It was a fascinating and illuminating talk which has lead to ongoing conversation and discussion here at MIT.” —Tracy Purinton, Associate Director, MIT Leadership Center Selected for Common Reading Virginia Tech

Colleges visited include Dominican University, MIT, Virginia Tech, and Harvard. Upcoming: London School of Economics, University of the Pacific, Brown University, Yale, City University of New York.

www.CommonReads.com

A Message from Virginia Tech First Year Experiences Office of the University Provost 103 Hillcrest Hall (0914) Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 540/231-3341 Fax: 540/231-4891 E-mail: malewisl@vt.edu www.provost.vt.edu

January 2010 To Whom It May Concern, I write to provide information on the selection of Ecological Intelligence by Daniel Goleman as Virginia Tech’s “Common Book” for the 2009–2010 academic year. Many faculty members integrated content from the book into their classes—especially those in which mostly freshman students were registered. The selection and use of Ecological Intelligence was congruent with Virginia Tech’s commitment to sustainability issues and practices. We were pleased that the nature of the book afforded faculty members the opportunity to choose to include parts of the book for more intensive review and analysis by the students. In October of 2009, Dr. Goleman made a one-day visit to Virginia Tech. During that time he spoke to several groups including students. He engaged in lively discussions with the students and many reported that they appreciated the opportunity to learn from someone who had dedicated so much time and intellect to this important topic. Currently, Ecological Intelligence is one of several books on the general topic of sustainability under consideration for selection as the 2010–2011 academic year “Common Book”. Sincerely,

Mary Ann Lewis Director of First Year Experiences Virginia Tech

Invent the Future V I R G I N I A P O LY T E C H N I C I N S T I T U T E A N D S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y An equal opportunity, affirmative action institution

A Message from Daniel Goleman In my talks on college campuses around the country I’ve found that students find the vision outlined in Ecological Intelligence both sobering and empowering. I draw on data from a wide range of disciplines—ecology, industrial design, economics and business, neuroeconomics and beyond—to portray the lifelong challenges young people will face in reversing the slowmotion catastrophe driven by our everyday habits and purchases. The emerging force of Web 2.0, and new information systems, are key to the hopeful solutions I envision. I’ve immensely enjoyed my interactions with students and find myself energized by their enthusiasm for positive solutions to the ecological challenges we face. I look forward to many more such encounters. In fact if a college or university adopts Ecological Intelligence as an all-school read, I will try to visit the campus to speak there pro bono (if I can readily fit the trip into my travel schedule). If not, I would be happy to do a webinar with Q&A for the students there.

Go Green

GO GREEN

Now in Paperback

Website: www.bluezones.com

THE BLUE ZONES

Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest By Dan Buettner In this expanded edition of the bestseller, longevity expert Dan Buettner draws on his research from extraordinarily long-lived communities—Blue Zones—around the globe to highlight the lifestyle, diet, outlook, and stress-coping practices that will add years to readers’ lives. This edition includes coverage of a new Blue Zone. National Geographic | TR | 978-1-4262-0400-5 | 304pp. | $14.95/$17.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

ECOTOPIA

Website: www.ernestcallenbach.com

By Ernest Callenbach Published in 1975, Ecotopia is a seminal dystopian novel by Ernest Callenbach. The society described in the book is one of the first ecological utopias and was influential on the counterculture, and the green movement in the 1970s and thereafter. “Callenbach gives us a vivid, comprehensive, positive vision of an ecologically sustainable world. Essential reading for all who care about the earth’s future.” —Fritjof Capra, author of The Tao of Physics and The Turning Point Bantam | TR | 978-0-553-34847-7 | 192pp. | $15.00/$18.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

YOU CAN SAVE THE EARTH 7 Reasons Why & 7 Simple Ways—A Philosophy For The Future Edited by Hatherleigh Press You Can Save the Earth is the perfect book to pick up for your common reading program as today’s students will be the next guardians of the planet. While many books on sustainability and climate change focus only on disasters and what has gone wrong, You Can Save the Earth provides a roadmap for students with real-life, simple solutions to many of our global problems, and emphasizes steps that can be taken on an individual basis or local level to promote environmental awareness and conservation. Hatherleigh Press | HC | 978-1-57826-280-9 | 144pp. | $12.95/$14.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $6.50

MINDFULLY GREEN A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking By Stephanie Kaza There has been a flood of attention given to the small actions we can take to live in a more environmentally friendly way—from reducing water use to conserving electricity. In this unique book, Stephanie Kaza, professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont, tells us how to affect real environmental change in the world. Influenced by her background in Buddhism, she offers a simply applied philosophy for engaging in environmental action in real, practical, and scientifically-based ways. Students will find new methods for evaluating their own relationship to the environment, think more deeply about their impact on the natural world, engage in environmental change, and make living green a personal practice. Shambhala | TR | 978-1-59030-583-6 | 144pp. | $14.00/$16.50 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00

www.CommonReads.com

GO GREEN

May 2010

THE NEW GOOD LIFE Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less By John Robbins In The New Good Life, John Robbins, the bestselling author of Diet for a New America (which later became a PBS series), and the founder of Earth Save International, offers counterintuitive high-joy, low-cost solutions to life’s challenges: ideas for saving money around our homes, on our plates, in our entertainment, and through our good physical and mental health. Informed by his colorful financial story and sparked by our national “end of excess,” The New Good Life is both a passionately-argued manifesto for finding meaning beyond money and value beyond status, and a practical blueprint for living well on less. Do not order before 5/25/2010. Ballantine Books | HC | 978-0-345-51984-9 | 256pp. | $25.00/$29.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Author Available • e-Book

THE GREEN BOOK The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

Website: www.readthegreenbook.com/

By Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen “It’s exciting to have a book like this where you can flip through and go see what you can do, what you can do instead of what you should have done. . . . ” —Cameron Diaz With wit and authority, authors Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen provide hundreds of everyday environmental solutions, pinpointing the tiniest adjustments that have the biggest impact upon the health of our great green globe. With celebrity contributions from: Justin Timberlake, Tiki Barber, Tyra Banks, Owen Wilson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Ellen DeGeneres, Will Ferrell, and many others. Perfect for younger readers. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-38135-4 | 224pp. | $12.95/$16.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

March 2010

SHIFT YOUR HABIT

Website: www.shiftyourhabit.com

Easy Ways to Save Money, Simplify Your Life, and Save the Planet By Elizabeth Rogers By bestselling author Elizabeth Rogers, an environmental consultant and entrepreneur, this book will help to empower students with the knowledge and skills needed for making a positive impact on their world. “Elizabeth Rogers brought a new face to the environmental movement with The Green Book, and now she’s doing it again with Shift Your Habit. Her unique understanding of both green issues and popular culture enables her to make sustainability sustainable—for real people, with real lives.” —Steve Glenn, CEO of Living Homes Do not order before 3/9/2010. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-46530-6 | 272pp. | $14.00/$17.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

Win Free Books. Get News. See What Others Are Reading. Visit: www.commonreads.com

Go Green

GO GREEN

PLENTY Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet

Website: www.100milediet.org/

By Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon The remarkable, amusing, and inspiring adventures of a Canadian couple who make a yearlong attempt to eat foods grown and produced within a 100-mile radius of their apartment. Using this food-focused experiment as a way to think about globalization, monoculture, the oil economy, environmental collapse, and community, the authors reveal a meaningful way to relate to the very essence of human survival: the food we eat. “A funny, warm, and seductive account of how we might live better—better for this earth, better for the community, better for our bellies!” —Bill McKibben Selected for Common Reading at Colorado Mountain College. One Book, One Community Choice in Alliance, OH. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-34733-6 | 272pp. | $13.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

New

ANTARCTICA 2041 My Quest to Save the Earth’s Last Wilderness

Go to www.education.2041.com/ for information about a curriculum developed around this book.

By Robert Swan with Gil Reavill In 1985, when Robert Swan walked across Antarctica, the fragile polar environment was not high in his mind. But upon his return, the earth’s perilous state became personal: Robert’s ice-blue eyes were singed a pale gray, a result of being exposed to the sun’s rays passing unfiltered through the depleted ozone layer. At this moment, his commitment to preserving the environment was born, and in Antarctica 2041 Swan details his journey to awareness, and provides the information and tools readers need to reverse the harm done to the planet thus far, and secure its future for generations to come. Broadway | HC | 978-0-7679-3175-5 | 304pp. | $24.99/$29.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Author Available • e-Book

Also of Interest

GO GREEN, LIVE RICH 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying By David Bach and Hillary Rosner Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-2973-8 | 192pp. | $14.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • Author Available • e-Book

LIVING LIKE ED A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life By Ed Begley, Jr. Clarkson Potter | TR | 978-0-307-39643-3 | 240pp. | $18.00/$21.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 e-Book

READY, SET, GREEN Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living By Graham Hill and Meaghan O’Neill Villard | TR | 978-0-345-50308-4 | 240pp. | $15.00/$17.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

Now in Paperback

SIX DEGREES Our Future on a Hotter Planet By Mark Lynas National Geographic | TR | 978-1-4262-0385-5 | 336pp. | $16.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00

www.CommonReads.com

SUZE ORMAN’S ACTION PLAN

Website: www.suzeorman.com

By Suze Orman Fully revised and updated for 2010 and beyond, Suze Orman’s bestselling financial action plan provides up-to-date information on new legislation that could affect how individuals will achieve their financial goals. Includes: an explanation of new FICO practices, and a new strategy for dealing with credit card debt; guidance on how to live within one’s means, and strategies to keep individuals on the path to achieving his or her goals in this new age of financial honesty. Plus an all-new chapter on kids and money—how to give children a solid financial education, no matter their age.

March 2010

Do not order before 3/23/2010. Spiegel & Grau | TR | 978-0-8129-8155-1 | 256pp. | $9.99/$12.99 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition

Also by Suze Orman

WOMEN & MONEY A groundbreaking new study by the best-selling author Suze Orman probes the complex relationship between women and money, addressing the impact of psychological practices and financial behavior on women’s finances, and offering practical solutions to create a fundamental change in how women handle their money. Spiegel & Grau | HC | 978-0-385-51931-1 | 272pp. | $24.95/$30.00 Can |. Exam Copy: $12.50 Audio Edition • e-Book

For more books by Suze Orman, visit http://tinyurl.com/yemdtdq

FIGHT FOR YOUR MONEY By David Bach

Website: www.finishrich.com

In Fight For Your Money, David Bach, financial guru and consumer advocate, has written the ultimate guide to making smarter financial decisions and protecting yourself from companies that want to separate you from your hardearned income. Starting with an A to Z list of items for which you are paying too much—your cell phone, cable bill, cars, credit cards, insurance, airfare, hotels and many more—Bach shows how you are being taken. Then the “Fight for Your Money Toolkit” shows you how to fight back, with sample letters, call scripts, and reallife stories of ordinary people who have fought back and won. Broadway | HC | 978-0-7679-2984-4 | 448pp. | $26.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $13.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

Also by David Bach

THE AUTOMATIC MILLIONAIRE In The Automatic Millionaire, popular financial writer David Bach champions automated transactions and a slow, gradual approach to wealth accumulation. Bach suggests making use of automated payroll deductions for pre-tax retirement funds—hence the book’s title—and accelerated mortgage payments as ways to ensure a wealthy retirement, even for those without extraordinary incomes. For millions of Americans discouraged by the economy, and for the 97 million Americans who haven’t yet saved a dollar for their future, The Automatic Millionaire will be a life-changing book. Broadway | TR | 978-0-7679-2382-8 | 272pp. | $12.95/NCR | Exam Copy: $3.00 Audio Edition • e-Book

For more books by David Bach, visit http://tinyurl.com/ya5g6c4

Money Matters

MONEY MATTERS

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE By Karen Blumenthal For anyone on his or her financial own, or about to be—students still in school or recent graduates about to start a job—this is a valuable guide to starting on the right path for lifelong, responsible money management and financial freedom. Three Rivers Press | TR | 978-0-307-40708-5 | 336pp. | $14.95/$16.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available • e-Book

THE SMART COOKIES’ GUIDE TO MAKING MORE DOUGH

Website: www.smartcookies.com

How Five Young Women Got Smart, Formed a Money Group, and Took Control of Their Finances By The Smart Cookies and Jennifer Barrett In this fresh, accessible guide, five dynamic young women describe how they formed a money club with the intent of developing strategies for getting out of debt and improving their individual financial situation, sharing their proven recipe for success with their personal stories, easy-to-follow steps, and strategies for meeting any goal, from eliminating debt to becoming a smart spender. Delacorte Press | HC | 978-0-385-34244-5 | 256pp. | $24.00/NCR | Exam Copy: $12.00 Author Available • e-Book

Also available:

IF YOU HAD A MILLION DOLLARS . . . Questions About Your Money and Your Life By Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell Villard | HC | 978-0-345-50495-1 | 144pp. | $12.95/$14.95 Can. | Exam Copy: $6.50

STAY RICH FOR LIFE How to Have More Money Today, More Money for Retirement, and More Money for your Loved Ones By Ed Slott Ballantine | HC | 978-0-345-51442-4 | 288pp. | $25.00/$28.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $12.50 Author Available • e-Book

STAY RICH FOR LIFE WORKBOOK By Ed Slott Ballantine | TR | 978-0-345-51443-1 | 256pp. | $15.00/$17.00 Can. | Exam Copy: $3.00 Author Available

Win Free Books. Get News. See What Others Are Reading. Visit: www.commonreads.com

www.CommonReads.com

Author/Title Index Ackerman, Laurence ..................................63 Ackmann, Martha ........................................54 Aiken, Sean ................................................48 Albom, Mitch ..............................................48 Aldrin, Buzz ................................................20 Ali, Nujood ..................................................20 ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT ..........41 Alsamari, Lewis ..........................................20 AMERICAN BUFFALO....................................58 AMERICAN CHICA ........................................21 AMERICAN RUST ........................................40 AMERICAN WIDOW ......................................30 Angelou, Maya ......................................20, 21 ANGRY BLACK WHITE BOY ..........................39 ANTARCTICA 2041 ......................................74 Arana, Marie................................................21 Armstrong, Karen ........................................54 Asher, Donald ..............................................64 ASK FOR IT..................................................63 Aslan, Reza ................................................54 AAUDACITY OF HOPE, THE ..........................19 AUTOMATIC MILLIONAIRE, THE ....................75 Babcock, Linda............................................63 Bach, David ................................................75 Bashir, Halima ............................................21 Baum, Dan ..................................................31 BEATRICE AND VIRGIL..................................40 BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE, THE ........................23 BEG, BORROW, STEAL ................................24 Begley, Ed Jr. ..............................................74 Behrens, Peter ............................................35 Bennington, Emily........................................64 Berry, Bertice ..............................................21 BLACK SWAN, THE ......................................59 BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME ....................59 BLUE NOTEBOOK, THE ................................38 BLUE ZONES, THE........................................72 Blumenthal, Karen ......................................76 Bobis, Merlinda ..........................................35 Bolles, Richard N. ................................63, 64 BOMBINGHAM ............................................37 BORDER CROSSER ......................................58 BOTANY OF DESIRE, THE ............................57 Bourke, Anthony ..........................................22 Bowe, John ................................................55 Boylan, Jennifer Finney ..............................22 Bradbury, Ray..............................................35 Bradshaw, John ..........................................48 Brafman, Ori................................................55 BREACH OF FAITH ......................................31 Bronson, Po ................................................48 BROTHERS ..................................................36 Buettner, Dan ..............................................72 Buffett, Peter ..............................................49 Callenbach, Ernest ................................55, 72 Campbell, Donovan ......................................1 Canedy, Dana ................................................2 CARTWHEELS IN A SARI ..............................29 Castillo, Ana ................................................35 Chang, Leslie T. ..........................................55 CHARACTER IS DESTINY..............................50 Chen, Da ....................................................36 Christen, Carol ............................................63

Ciulla, Joanne B. ........................................64 Coates, Ta-Nehisi ........................................23 COLLEGE RULES! ......................................61 Compton-Rock,Malaak ................................49 Courtenay, Bryce ........................................36 COVERING ..................................................60 CRACKING CREATIVITY ................................65 DARE TO PREPARE ......................................67 Dau, John Bul..............................................22 Davis, L.J. ..................................................36 DAY THE EARTH CAVED IN, THE ..................58 Dery, Tibor ..................................................36 Dickner, Nicolas ..........................................37 DO HARD THINGS ........................................50 DREAMERS OF THE DAY ..............................42 DREAMS FROM MY FATHER ........................19 Dumas, Firoozeh........................................4, 5 Easterbrook, Gregg......................................56 EAVES OF HEAVEN, THE ..............................28 Ebadi, Shirin ................................................23 ECOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE ........................70 ECOTOPIA..............................................55, 72 Edelman, Hope ............................................23 EDUCATION OF A WANDERING MAN ............25 Edwards, Elizabeth ......................................23 EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY ............................64 Ellis, Shaun ................................................24 END OF THE JEWS, THE ..............................39 ENRIQUE’S JOURNEY ..................................10 Ensler, Eve ..................................................24 ESCAPE FROM SADDAM..............................20 EVERY MAN DIES ALONE ............................37 EVERY PATIENT TELLS A STORY ..................28 EVOLUTION FOR EVERYONE ........................60 FACTORY GIRLS ..........................................55 FAHRENHEIT 451 ........................................35 Fallada, Hans ..............................................37 FAREWELL, MY SUBARU ..............................56 FIGHT FOR YOUR MONEY ............................75 Fine, Doug ..................................................56 Flach, Andrew ............................................72 Ford, Jamie ................................................34 Francis, John ..............................................68 FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY ..........................49 Freeman, Philip Mitchell ..............................61 FUNNY IN FARSI ............................................5 Gandhi, Mahatma ........................................49 Gates, Bill Sr. and Mary Ann Mackin ............65 Gebhard, Nathan ........................................50 GERTRUDA’S OATH ......................................27 GO GREEN, LIVE RICH ..................................74 GOD GREW TIRED OF US ............................22 GOD OF SMALL THINGS, THE ......................41 Goleman, Daniel ..........................................70 GREEN BOOK, THE ......................................73 Greenberg, Michael ....................................24 Grisham, John ............................................56 Grooms, Anthony ........................................37 GUARDIANS, THE ........................................35 GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY ..................................43 GUIDE TO COLLEGE MAJORS 2010..............66 Hakakian, Roya ..........................................24

Handke, Peter..............................................37 HANDS OF MY FATHER ................................30 HARDBALL HANDBOOK, THE........................57 Hari, Daoud ................................................25 Harris, Alex and Brett Harris ........................50 Haskell, Sam ..............................................50 Heath, Chip and Dan Heath ........................62 HEAVY METAL ISLAM ..................................26 Hegland, Jean ............................................38 HEIRLOOM ..................................................59 HIGH............................................................27 Hill, Graham ................................................74 HOPE IN THE UNSEEN, A..............................16 Horne, Jed ..................................................31 HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET............................................34 HOW TO GET ANY JOB ................................64 HOW TO WIN A COSMIC WAR ......................54 HUNGER OF MEMORY..................................28 I AM AN EMOTIONAL CREATURE ..................24 I AM NUJOOD, AGE 10 AND DIVORCED ........20 I KNOW WHY CAGED BIRD SINGS ................20 IDENTITY CODE, THE ..................................63 IF IT TAKES A VILLAGE, BUILD ONE ..............49 IF YOU HAD A MILLION DOLLARS ................76 I’M LOOKING THROUGH YOU........................22 IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA ..................52 IMPROV WISDOM ........................................65 INHERITING THE HOLY LAND........................57 INNOCENT MAN, THE ..................................56 INTO THE FOREST ......................................38 IRAN AWAKENING ........................................23 Isaacs, Florence ..........................................65 ISLAM ........................................................54 Jeffs, Brent W. ............................................25 JENNIEMAE & JAMES..................................27 JOB HUNTERS SURVIVAL GUIDE ..................64 JOKER ONE ..................................................1 JOURNAL FOR JORDAN, A ............................2 JOURNEY FROM THE LAND OF NO ..............24 JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES ..............26 Kalish, Mildred Armstrong ..........................25 Kaza, Stephanie ..........................................72 Kidder, Tracy..............................................6, 7 Kozol, Jonathan ..........................................57 Laguna, Sofie ..............................................38 L’Amour, Louis ............................................25 Landis, James ............................................38 Lang Lang ..................................................26 Lanier, Carlotta Walls ....................................3 LAST DAY, THE ............................................38 LAST NIGHT I DREAMED OF PEACE ............30 LAST RESORT, THE ......................................28 LAST TOWN ON EARTH, THE........................32 LAUGHING WITHOUT AN ACCENT ..................4 LAW OF DREAMS, THE ................................35 LAY THAT TRUMPET IN OUR HANDS ............39 LECTURE NOTES ........................................61 LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER ..........................21 Levine, James MD ......................................38 Levine, Mark ..............................................26 LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT ........................49 LIFE YOU CAN SAVE, THE ............................51

Author/Title Index

Author/Title Index LION CALLED CHRISTIAN, A ........................22 LITTLE HEATHENS ......................................25 LIVING LIKE ED ............................................74 LOOK ME IN THE EYE ..................................12 LOST BOY....................................................25 LUCIFER EFFECT, THE ..................................60 Lynas, Mark ................................................74 MADE TO STICK ..........................................62 Madson, Patricia Ryan ................................65 MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION ........................20 MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE ..............46 Mam, Somaly ..............................................26 MAN WHO LIVES WITH WOLVES ..................24 MANDELA’S WAY ........................................45 Mansbach, Adam ........................................39 MANY DEATHS OF FIREFLY BROS ................33 Martel, Yann ................................................40 Maskalyk, James ........................................26 Matthews, Chris ..........................................57 McCain, John ..............................................50 McCarthy, Susan Carol ................................39 McCoy, Sarah ..............................................40 McFarlane, Evelyn ......................................76 MEANINGFUL LIFE, A ..................................36 MERCURY 13, THE ......................................54 Meyer, Philipp..............................................40 Michalko, Michael ................................65, 66 MIGHTY LONG WAY, A ....................................3 Miller, Jennifer ............................................57 MINDFULLY GREEN......................................72 Moon, Elizabeth ..........................................40 Moore, Wes ................................................27 MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS ................7 Mourning, Alounzo ......................................51 Mullen, Thomas ....................................32, 33 MY JIM........................................................41 Nafisi, Azar ................................................8, 9 Nazario, Sonia ............................................10 NEW GOOD LIFE, THE ..................................73 Newman, Brooke ........................................27 NIKI ............................................................36 NIKOLSKI ....................................................37 NINE LIVES ..................................................31 Nist-Olejnik, Sherrie ....................................61 NO GOD BUT GOD ......................................54 NO RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT ....................58 NOBODIES ..................................................55 Obama, Barack............................................19 O’Dea, Brian ................................................27 ONE FOOT WRONG ......................................38 ONE-WEEK JOB PROJECT, THE ....................48 Oren, Ram ..................................................27 Orman, Suze ..............................................75 OTHER WES MOORE, THE ............................27 OUTCASTS UNITED......................................14 OVERNIGHT RESUME, THE ..........................64 PATIENCE STONE, THE ................................41 PAYING FOR COLLEGE 2010 ........................66 Pham, Andrew X. ........................................28 Pincott, Jena ..............................................66 PLANETWALKER ..........................................68 PLENTY ......................................................74 POET OF BAGHDAD, THE ............................30

Pollan, Michael ............................................57 POSSIBILITY OF EVERYTHING, THE ..............23 POWER OF ONE, THE ..................................36 PRIDE OF BAGHDAD ....................................43 Princeton Review ..................................66, 67 PROGRESS PARADOX, THE ..........................56 PROMISES I MADE MY MOTHER ..................50 Quigley, Joan ..............................................58 Rahimi, Atiq ................................................41 Rawles, Nancy ............................................41 READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN..........................9 READY, SET, GREEN ....................................74 RECLAIMING VIRTUE ....................................48 Remarque, Erich Maria ................................41 RESILIENCE ................................................23 RESILIENCE ................................................51 Rico, Johnny................................................58 Rinella, Steven ............................................58 ROAD OF LOST INNOCENCE ........................26 ROADTRIP NATION ......................................50 Robbins, John ............................................73 Robison, John Elder ....................................12 Rodriguez, Richard ......................................28 Rogers, Douglas ..........................................28 Rogers, Elizabeth ........................................73 Roy, Arundhati ............................................41 Roy, Lucinda................................................58 Rushdie, Salman ........................................42 Russell, Mary Doria ....................................42 Salih, Tayeb ................................................43 Sancton, Tom ..............................................31 Sanders, Lisa ..............................................28 SATANIC VERSES, THE ................................42 Sayrafiezadeh, Said ....................................29 Seal, Mark ..................................................29 SEASON OF MIGRATION NORTH ..................43 See, Lisa ....................................................43 Shaffer, Mary Ann and Annie Barrows..........43 SHAME OF THE NATION, THE ......................57 SHANGHAI GIRLS ........................................43 Shapiro, Ronald M. ....................................67 SHE’S NOT THERE ......................................22 SHIFT YOUR HABIT ......................................73 SHOWING UP FOR LIFE................................65 Singer, Peter................................................51 SIX DEGREES ..............................................74 SIX MONTHS IN SUDAN ..............................26 Skloot, Rebecca ..........................................52 SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE..............................44 Slott, Ed ......................................................76 SLOW HOMECOMING ..................................37 Smith, Alisa and J.B. MacKinnon ................74 SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN ........43 SOLEMN LANTERN MAKER, THE ..................35 SONG FOR MY FATHERS ..............................31 SONIC BOOM ..............................................56 SOUVENIR, THE............................................29 SPARROW, THE ............................................42 SPEED OF DARK, THE ..................................40 St. John, Warren..........................................14 STANDING TALL ..........................................51 Stark, Tim....................................................59 START HERE ................................................50

www.CommonReads.com

STAY RICH FOR LIFE! ..................................76 STAY RICH FOR LIFE! WORKBOOK................76 Steinman, Louise ........................................29 Stengel, Richard ..........................................45 STREET SHADOWS ......................................18 STRENGTH IN WHAT REMAINS ......................6 Strickland, Bill ............................................46 Stringer, C. Vivian ........................................51 SUCCESS ....................................................66 Suskind, Ron ..............................................16 SUZE ORMAN’S ACTION PLAN ....................75 Swan, Robert ..............................................74 SWAY ..........................................................55 SWEEPING UP GLASS ..................................44 SWITCH ......................................................62 Taleb, Nassim Nicholas................................59 Tamm, Jayanti ............................................29 Tatchell, Jo..................................................30 TEARS OF THE DESERT ..............................21 The Freedom Writers ..................................49 THINGS I’VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT..................8 THINKERTOYS..............................................66 THREAD OF GRACE, A..................................42 TIES THAT BIND, THE ..................................21 TIME IT SNOWED IN PUERTO RICO ..............40 Torres, Alissa ..............................................30 Tram, Dang Thuy ........................................30 TRANSLATOR, THE ......................................25 TRUE FIRES ................................................39 TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE ............................48 Tyson, Timothy B. ......................................59 Uhlberg, Myron............................................30 Vaughan, Brian K. ......................................44 Vonnegut, Kurt ............................................44 Walker, Jerald..............................................18 WALL STREET JOURNAL GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE ............76 Wall, Carolyn ..............................................44 WAY TO GOD ..............................................49 WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? 2010 ......................................................63 WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? TEENS ....................................................63 WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? WORKBOOK ............................................63 WHAT DO YOU SAY WHEN . . . ....................65 WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE? ..........48 WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR ENGLISH OR COMMUNICATIONS DEGREE ..............67 WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HISTORY OR POLITICAL SCIENCE DEGREE ............67 WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR PSYCHOLOGY OR SOCIOLOGY DEGREE ........................67 WHEN SKATEBOARDS WILL BE FREE ..........29 WILDFLOWER ..............................................29 Wilkinson, Bruce..........................................51 Wilson, David Sloan ....................................60 WOMEN & MONEY ......................................75 WORKING LIFE, THE ....................................64 Yoshino, Kenji ..............................................60 YOU CAN SAVE EARTH ................................72 YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS ........................51 Zimbardo, Philip ..........................................60

RANDOM HOUSE, INC. WILL SUPPORT YOUR PROGRAM Selecting the right title is only the first step towards making your First-Year Reading program a success; publisher support is also very important. The Random House, Inc. Academic Marketing Department is here to help make sure that your program runs as smoothly and successfully as possible, and that your needs and requests are handled in a thorough and efficient manner.

We are pleased to help you with the following: Author Appearances

Author Available

We’ll promptly channel your author requests to the appropriate department to ensure they are considered and dealt with in a quick manner.

Ancillary Materials

Discussion Guides We will continue to develop and make available discussion guides, which may be used as tools by your discussion leaders. These free guides are available in print or are downloadable from our website.

Customized Copies

We can easily customize books on demand. Want to include a letter from your Dean or College President? Imprint the cover jacket of the book with a specialized seal? Or modify the book in some other way? Just let us know and we’ll work with our Premium Sales Department to process your request (please note this refers to orders placed only through Random House Premium Sales. These orders can only be for books not for resale).

Should you need book paraphernalia (posters, buttons, etc.), author photos, or additional content and materials, we will research what’s available and get what you need to you as quickly as possible.

Desk Copies

Depending upon the method of your order, you are entitled to one complimentary copy of a book per every 20 student copies ordered. These copies are often allocated to group discussion leaders. We will process and ship your request immediately.

Ordering

Although Random House, Inc. does not sell directly to schools or libraries, we can assist you in the easy procurement of your student copies, whether through your bookstore, a local wholesaler, or our in-house Premium Sales Department (this last avenue is limited just to orders not for resale).

Questions? Do not hesitate to contact directly: Michael D. Gentile Director, Academic Marketing Random House, Inc. 1745 Broadway, 6– 2 New York, NY 10019 Tel. (212) 782-8387 Fax (212) 940-7381 E-mail mgentile@randomhouse.com

FRESHMAN YEAR READING ADOPTION TITLES, 2010 EXAMINATION COPY ORDER FORM Examination copies are available to college professors, instructors, or First-Year administrators seeking titles to review for adoption consideration. The exam copy prices are as follows: $3.00 for each paperback priced under $20.00, and 50% off the retail price for all hardcovers and paperbacks priced at or over $20.00. Examination copies are limited to ten per teacher per school year and can only be mailed to valid U.S. addresses. To order, use the order form on the back of this catalog. Examination copies must be prepaid with a check, or money order made payable to Random House, Inc. Offer only valid in the United States. All requests are subject to approval and availability. Please allow 2â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4 weeks for delivery. DESK COPIES: We are pleased to provide complimentary desk copies of adopted required reading books for instructors at accredited colleges and universities. One desk copy is available for every twenty copies ordered. All requests are subject to availability and approval. NOTE: Due to the high volume of requests, desk copy requests are now accepted only via our online form. An order for student copies must be on file with your campus bookstore before the desk copy can be shipped. Visit our website at www.randomhouse.com/academic for more information.

Sign up for our e-newsletters: o Freshman Year Reading o History o African American Studies o Asian Studies o Latin American Studies o Literature o Middle Eastern Studies o Military History o Political Science o Religion o Sociology o Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Studies

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | E-mail address |____________________________________________________________________________ SHIP TO: School/College/University address only (books cannot be shipped to home addresses). Please print clearly or attach business card here. Name

|__________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Title |____________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | School/College/University |________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Department ______________________________________________________________________________________ Address

|________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | City/State/ZIP |____________________________________________________________________________________ SOURCE KEY

F Y E 10

ISBN

Author/Title

Exam Price *see individual titles for costs

|______________________ | | | | | | | | | | |______________________ | | | | | | | | | | |______________________ | | | | | | | | | |

|____________ | | | | |____________ | | | | |____________ | | | |

|______________________ | | | | | | | | | | |________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |______________________ | | | | | | | | | | |________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

|____________ | | | | |____________ | | | |

|______________________ | | | | | | | | | | |______________________ | | | | | | | | | | |______________________ | | | | | | | | | | |______________________ | | | | | | | | | | |______________________ | | | | | | | | | |

|________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

|____________ | | | | |____________ | | | | |____________ | | | | |____________ | | | | |____________ | | | |

TOTAL COST OF ALL BOOKS ORDERED (enclose payment*):

____________

MAIL WITH PAYMENT* TO:

RANDOM HOUSE, INC.

Examination Copy Department, Random House, Inc., Customer Service, 400 Hahn Road, Westminster, MD 21157 *Orders received without payment cannot be filled. Queries: RHAcademic@randomhouse.com

www.CommonReads.com

Need a speaker for your next university event?

The Random House Speakers Bureau can help! Who We Are: The Random House Speakers Bureau is a full-service lecture agency whose primary focus is to help you find the best speaker for your event. Our dynamic roster includes Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, New York Times best-selling authors, business leaders, journalists, medical luminaries and many others.

How We Can Help: We work with universities year-round in helping them fulfill their lecture needs. We book authors at FYE programs, panel discussions, lecture series, writing festivals and a host of other university events. In addition, we help coordinate book signings for every event, from ordering direct through the signing itself. Here is a sample of four recent university events we have provided speakers for: n

Julie Otsuka spoke to freshmen at California State University when her novel, When the Emperor was Divine (an FYE favorite), was chosen for their One Book Program

Lorrie Moore, author of A Gate at the Stairs (one of The New York Times’ “10 Best Books of 2009”), gave a lecture as part of Bryn Mawr College’s Creative Writing Reading Series

Abraham Verghese, senior associate chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Stanford and author of Cutting for Stone, spoke to students at Stanford’s “Three Books” program for freshmen

Joseph O’Neill, author of Netherland (winner of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award), spoke at a colloquium given by the English Department at Wittenberg University

To book a speaker for your next event, please call us at 212-572-2013 or email us at rhspeakers@randomhouse.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Random House, Inc. Academic Dept., 6-2 1745 Broadway New York, NY 10019