Ten percent of the population is affected by a learning disability, but few of us understand what being learning disabled (LD) is really like. When he was fourteen, Bradlee was diagnosed with Velo-Cardio-Facial-Syndrome (VCFS), a wide-spread, little-understood disorder that is expressed through a wide range of physical ailments and learning disabilities. In this funny, moving, and often irreverent book, Bradlee tells his own inspirational story of growing up as an LD kid -- and of doing so as the child of larger-than-life, formidably accomplished parents: long-time Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee and bestselling author Sally Quinn. From his difficulties reading social cues, to his cringe-worthy loss of sexual innocence, Bradlee describes the challenges and joys of living "a different life" with disarming candor and humor. By the end of A Different Life he will have become, if not your best friend, one of your favorite people.

“Weird indeed, and not a little wonderful.”—Nature In the 1980s and 1990s, in places where no one thought it possible, scientists found organisms they called extremophiles: lovers of extremes. There were bacteria in volcanic hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, single-celled algae in Antarctic ice floes, and fungi in the cooling pools of nuclear reactors. But might there be life stranger than the most extreme extremophile? Might there be, somewhere, another kind of life entirely? In fact, scientists have hypothesized life that uses ammonia instead of water, life based not in carbon but in silicon, life driven by nuclear chemistry, and life whose very atoms are unlike those in life we know. In recent years some scientists have begun to look for the tamer versions of such life on rock surfaces in the American Southwest, in a “shadow biosphere” that might impinge on the known biosphere, and even deep within human tissue. They have also hypothesized more radical versions that might survive in Martian permafrost, in the cold ethylene lakes on Saturn’s moon Titan, and in the hydrogen-rich atmospheres of giant planets in other solar systems. And they have imagined it in places off those worlds: the exotic ices in comets, the vast spaces between the stars, and—strangest of all—parallel universes. Distilling complex science in clear and lively prose, David Toomey illuminates the research of the biological avant-garde and describes the workings of weird organisms in riveting detail. His chapters feature an unforgettable cast of brilliant scientists and cover everything from problems with our definitions of life to the possibility of intelligent weird life. With wit and understanding that will delight scientists and lay readers alike, Toomey reveals how our current knowledge of life forms may account for only a tiny fraction of what’s really out there.

When fifteen-year-old Libby is exposed to a mysterious infection, she must struggle with the long recovery process and the prospect that she may never walk again.

Ten percent of the population is affected by a learning disability, but few of us understand what being learning disabled (LD) is really like. When he was fourteen, Bradlee was diagnosed with Velo-Cardio-Facial-Syndrome (VCFS), a wide-spread, little-understood disorder that is expressed through a wide range of physical ailments and learning disabilities. In this funny, moving, and often irreverent book, Bradlee tells his own inspirational story of growing up as an LD kid -- and of doing so as the child of larger-than-life, formidably accomplished parents: long-time Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee and bestselling author Sally Quinn. From his difficulties reading social cues, to his cringe-worthy loss of sexual innocence, Bradlee describes the challenges and joys of living "a different life" with disarming candor and humor. By the end of A Different Life he will have become, if not your best friend, one of your favorite people.

Elaine Sturtz shares in Living in the Different that grief is messy, hard, painful, filled with tears and loneliness, but it also includes faith, hope and love. She walks through the journey, the emotions, the changes and hurts. Each grief is different, and grief changes our lives. We are different, and how we live and interact with others is different. The journey of grief takes different forms as we learn to live and mingle joy and sorrow together. Elaine offers hope-a hope of hope-through these passages of sorrow and loss. Hope is found in our faith in God who is love, and love never ends. As you read these words, may God bring comfort and guidance and give you hope.

For six years, Christian Vikstrom had been a member of the United States Marshals Service. He had spent his time chasing the world's most dangerous fugitives all over the globe. A snap moral decision ended his fast-rising career, and now he finds himself adrift and searching for a way to get on with his life when he is approached by a man desperate to find his missing granddaughter. As Christian uses his years of experience to try to locate the missing girl, he encounters ruthless men willing to kill to protect their criminal secrets. Follow Christian as his search leads him to a violent confrontation as he races to save a young girl's life.

In 1986, racing car constructor Frank Williams' life was turned upside down when a crash left him quadriplegic. For his wife, Ginny, the accident meant becoming head of the household while also struggling to overcome grief and anger. In this memoir, she tells her story with honesty and humor, set against the backdrop of Formula One racing.

In this inspiring memoir, David Egan tells his own story, giving us a window into a life spent pushing boundaries. With a family undaunted by his diagnosis of Down syndrome, Egan learned early to speak up for himself. He has since become a powerful advocate for all people with disabilities. His optimistic perspective rejected the limits of stereotypes and the expectations of others. He shares how the support of loving family and friends led him to overcome challenges and blaze new trails. It started with swimming and baseball, when he earned places on his neighborhood teams, competing fiercely and as a fully accepted teammate. He writes firsthand of the empowering feeling of being fully included in elementary school and at work as an adult. Egan has earned positions at prestigious companies and a distinguished fellowship on Capitol Hill. He sits on the boards of influential advocacy organizations. He has addressed audiences worldwide and has played a powerful global advocacy role with Special Olympics. He allowed himself to dream big, and he encourages everyone to do the same. His lesson to all of us is to focus on our shared humanity despite our differences--and our diagnoses. This hopeful memoir will encourage everyone to make the most of their lives.

Susie Andrews, a young teenager, has her entire life ahead of her. Suddenly, however, this life seems shattered after she is involved in a tragic car accident. Susie is left paralyzed and she sees no future for herself. But with the love and support of her mother, her best friend, a special guy in her life, and above all, God, she is given the strength to become a survivor.

Readers of John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Laurie Halse Anderson will be touched by the emotional depth and realistic characters of Jennifer Castle's teen novel You Look Different in Real Life. Justine charmed the nation in a documentary film featuring five kindergartners. Five years later, her edgy sense of humor made her the star of a second movie that caught up with the lives of the same five kids. Now Justine is sixteen, and another sequel is in the works. Justine isn't ready to have viewers examining her life again. She feels like a disappointment, not at all like the girl everyone fell in love with in the first two movies. But, ready or not, she and the other four teens will soon be in front of the cameras again. Smart, fresh, and funny, You Look Different in Real Life is an affecting novel about life in an age where the lines between what's personal and what's public aren't always clear.