Week of July 12, 2012
Wild
From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington state — and she would do it alone.
News and Reviews
Unbroken
A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Unbroken tells the gripping true story of a U.S. airman who was the sole survivor when his bomber crashed into the sea during World War II. He faced thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft and an even greater trial.
News and Reviews
The Amateur
Barack Obama in the White House
Edward Klein, author of The Truth About Hillary, argues that President Obama is arrogant and incompetent. He discusses what he calls the first lady's control over Obama; why Rahm Emanuel left the White House; and how, Klein says, the president has forgotten and ignored those who helped put him in power.
Darth Vader and Son
Jeffrey Brown comically reimagines the plot of Star Wars with Darth Vader as a charming father.
Imagine
How Creativity Works
An examination of the new science of creativity explains how it involves distinct thought processes that can be tapped by anyone, revealing the practices of successful companies and creative individuals while considering how to use scientific principles to increase creativity.
News and Reviews
Lots Of Candles, Plenty Of Cake
A Memoir of a Woman's Life
A candid and whimsical memoir that explores what matters to middle-aged women.
News and Reviews
The Passage Of Power
The Years Of Lyndon Johnson
Robert Caro has spent decades researching Lyndon Johnson's life; previous books in his massive biography of Johnson told the story of Johnson's rise to national prominence. In this fourth volume, Caro takes up Johnson's dismal years as vice president and his sudden presidency, which he used to shepherd the 1964 Civil Rights Act through Congress.
News and Reviews
Quiet
The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Susan Cain demonstrates how introverted people are misunderstood and undervalued in modern culture, charting the rise of extrovert ideology while sharing anecdotal examples of how to use introvert talents to adapt to various situations.
News and Reviews
The Presidents Club
Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity
Traces the history of the presidential fraternity conceived by Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover during Eisenhower's inauguration, exploring the ways the nation's presidents depended on, sabotaged and formed alliances that had world-changing impacts. Co-written by the co-author of The Preacher and the Presidents.
Let's Pretend This Never Happened
A Mostly True Memoir
In an illustrated memoir, Jenny Lawson shares humorous stories from her life, including her awkward upbringing in Texas and her relationship with her husband.
Drift
The Unmooring of American Military Power
In past wars, the U.S. practically dismantled its military after the troops came home. But today, says MSNBC News anchor and writer Rachel Maddow, the nation finds itself in a state of almost permanent war. Her book argues that the U.S. military has grown bloated partially because the nation is insulated from the wars its soldiers fight.
News and Reviews
Steve Jobs
A Biography
Draws on more than 40 interviews with Steve Jobs, as well as interviews with family members, friends, competitors and colleagues, to offer a look at the co-founder and leading creative force behind the Apple computer company.
News and Reviews
Yes, Chef
A Memoir
The Top Chef: Masters winner and James Beard Award-winning proprietor of Harlem's Red Rooster traces his Ethiopian birth, upbringing by an adoptive family in Sweden and rise to a famous New York chef, sharing personal insights into his challenges as a black man in a deeply prejudiced industry.
News and Reviews
Are You My Mother?
A Comic Drama
Depicts the author's mother as a voracious reader, music lover and passionate amateur actress who quietly suffers as the wife of a closeted gay artist and withdraws from her young daughter, who searches for answers to the separation later in life.
News and Reviews
The Power of Habit
Why We Do What We Do In Life And Business
Identifying the neurological processes behind behaviors while explaining that self-control and success are largely driven by habits, a guide by a Yale-educated investigative reporter for The New York Times shares scientifically based guidelines for achieving personal goals and overall well-being by adjusting specific habits.














