Here is a book written without the slightest nod to political correctness. It assumes that the reader and writer are equals in every way: intelligence, experience and the ability to exert common sense. The author is not trying to sell anything or prove anything; it is presented as friends in earnest discussion with a few comic breaks thrown in. It is a collection of thoughts from a man who has done everything from work in a labor gang to founding a non-profit organization devoted to philosophy. Who worked as a janitor to get through college and became the CEO of five corporations. Who抯 been rich and poor and believes that the sole primary purpose of human existence is learning. You won抰 have to guess about this writer抯 opinions, they will come to you in short, concise, clear bursts. You will love some, hate some others and, in the end, agree that you have been entertained in a stimulating fashion. Rushlow has been there, seen it, done it and now he tells it.

Moving from the elegant drawing rooms of Lahore to the mud villages of rural Multan, a powerful collection of short stories about feudal Pakistan. An impoverished young woman becomes a wealthy relative’s mistress; an electrician on the make confronts his desperate assailant to protect his most prized possession; a farm manager rises far in the world—but his family discovers after his death the transience of power; a maid, who advances herself through sexual favours, unexpectedly falls in love. In these linked stories about the family and household staff of the ageing KK Harouni, we meet masters and servants, landlords and supplicants, politicians and electricians, village women, and Karachi housewives. Part Chekhov, part RK Narayan, these stories are dark and light, complex and humane; at heart about the relationship between the powerful and powerless, bound together in life—and in death. Together they make up a vivid portrait of a feudal world rarely brought alive in the English language. Sensuous, graceful, melancholy, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders gives you Pakistan as you have never seen it. It marks the debut of an amazing new talent.

Popular images of women during the American Civil War include self-sacrificing nurses, romantic spies, and brave ladies maintaining hearth and home in the absence of their men. However, as DeAnne Blanton and Lauren M. Cook show in their remarkable new study, that conventional picture does not tell the entire story. Hundreds of women assumed male aliases, disguised themselves in men’s uniforms, and charged into battle as Union and Confederate soldiers—facing down not only the guns of the adversary but also the gender prejudices of society. They Fought Like Demons is the first book to fully explore and explain these women, their experiences as combatants, and the controversial issues surrounding their military service. Relying on more than a decade of research in primary sources, Blanton and Cook document over 240 women in uniform and find that their reasons for fighting mirrored those of men—-patriotism, honor, heritage, and a desire for excitement. Some enlisted to remain with husbands or brothers, while others had dressed as men before the war. Some so enjoyed being freed from traditional women’s roles that they continued their masquerade well after 1865. The authors describe how Yankee and Rebel women soldiers eluded detection, some for many years, and even merited promotion. Their comrades often did not discover the deception until the “young boy” in their company was wounded, killed, or gave birth. In addition to examining the details of everyday military life and the harsh challenges of -warfare for these women—which included injury, capture, and imprisonment—Blanton and Cook discuss the female warrior as an icon in nineteenth-century popular culture and why twentieth-century historians and society ignored women soldiers’ contributions. Shattering the negative assumptions long held about Civil War distaff soldiers, this sophisticated and dynamic work sheds much-needed light on an unusual and overlooked facet of the Civil War experience.

* Newbery Honor Book * #1 New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award * Forbes 25 Top Historical Fiction Books Of All Time selection * Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year selection * New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing selection An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War II, from the acclaimed author of Fighting Words, and for fans of Fish in a Tree and Number the Stars. Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him. So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother? This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity—a classic in the making. "Achingly lovely...Nuanced and emotionally acute."—The Wall Street Journal "Unforgettable...unflinching."—Common Sense Media "Touching...Emotionally charged." —Forbes ★ “Brisk and honest...Cause for celebration.” —Kirkus, starred review ★ "Poignant."—Publishers Weekly, starred review ★ "Powerful."—The Horn Book, starred review "Affecting."—Booklist "Emotionally satisfying...[A] page-turner."—BCCB “Exquisitely written...Heart-lifting.” —SLJ "Astounding...This book is remarkable."—Karen Cushman, author The Midwife's Apprentice "Beautifully told."—Patricia MacLachlan, author of Sarah, Plain and Tall "I read this novel in two big gulps."—Gary D. Schmidt, author of Okay for Now "I love Ada's bold heart...Her story's riveting."—Sheila Turnage, author of Three Times Lucky

"Through the rich inner lives of two ordinary, unforgettable women, award-winning Spanish poet Elena Medel brings a half-century of the feminist movement to life, revealing the simmering truth that money is ultimately the limiting factor in most women's lives"--

Storytelling at its best, this compelling memoir graphically portrays the scarred emotional landscape of young men who seek a place in the world by way of a military career. Exhausted shadows of the past are brought alive with uncommon eloquence as the author looks back on his youth brimming with innocence, idealism and patriotism. A page turner, the book explores the complex nature of a man whose brave, daring and sometimes foolhardy exploits led to the essential task; building a scaffold of choices and attitudes by rendering meaning from the intractable depths of experience. What in other hands might be a dreary tale of adolescent angst, betrayal and disillusion, takes on truly pyrotechnic energy, lifting his coming of age from the mundane to the profound. Reviews Rating="Excellent" (top rating) by Writer's Digest "...What I like best is the humanity of the speaker. Narrators often glorify themselves or the people they love and consequently attack those who might have ever hurt them slightly. It seems those authors do not approach their lives from a position of power. But this book is filled with real people with distinctive voices, made human and vulnerable by their standards and faults and are loved all the more for them by the reader. Especially wonderful is the perspective on the world, the philosophies and stories presented with reasoning throughout, as well as the various layers of actual war and the psychology of boy and manhood ... the raw, relatable, vivid voice that is found inside ... the project is quite necessary and brilliant, and I hope it will come under the gaze of many a person interested at all in our worlds history or the intelligent wisdom of one who has lived." Rating="5 Stars" By jd2 (ID) In War Stories For My Grandchildren, the author vividly portrays how war is not always on the military battlefield. This unique book tells of war in all walks of life, be it young, old, personal, social or military. It connects the reader to war through the eyes and mind of the author who experienced these events as they unfolded. With a poignant view of the military, gained from a combined total of twenty plus years in the Air Force and Navy, he writes with the technical expertise of an insider and the wisdom acquired after five tours in Southeast Asia. Here's a bargain if I ever read one. The book contains about twenty different stories for the price of one book. Each story filled with a refreshingly honest point of view. Not just the blood and guts side of war but a deeper philosophical understanding of what it is, what it does, and how humanity can't seem to detach itself from it. Real life danger and excitement await the reader in stories like The Drowning of Helen Lee and Sea Dragon, as well as others. I'm sure his Grandchildren will enjoy them all. I did! Highly recommended from a satisfied reader. Jd2/SFR

In the stampede,that is life;we find ourselves,in a frantic struggle to survive. The enjoyment of nature and all the peace and beauty it brings;seems to be slipping away;much like the forests, we once loved so very much. Innumerable, are the wonders of this world,in spite of the devastation of war and man's indifference to his environment. By the will of nature;there will forever remain a corner of Eden, in which all of God's children can play. We each have our own paradise. Some of us acknowledge it,because;in our hearts, we want to see it. It's our way of saying,that the entire world isn't wrong,that there still remains a garden of Babylon, and the splendor of spring rain.