From Esquire's popular "What I've Learned" column comes a stunning, all-new collection of candid interviews with 65 actors, athletes, directors, musicians, writers, comedians, politicians, and other legendary figures. Every one of the impressive figures profiled here offers insights that reveal the humanity behind the famous face. The lessons these larger-than-life personalities convey are funny, inspirational, very down-to-earth--and always captivating. The profiles include: 50 Cent, Tim Allen, Woody Allen, André 3000, Kevin Bacon, Tony Bennett, Joe Biden, David Blaine, Albert Brooks, James L. Brooks, Jim Brown, James Lee Burke, Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, George H. W. Bush (with Barbara Bush), Michael Caine, Chevy Chase, Chris Christie, Francis Ford Coppola, Kevin Costner, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Daniels, Ted Danson, Robert DeNiro, Bruce Dern, Danny DeVito, Robert Duvall, Art Garfunkel, Ricky Gervais, Phillip Glass, Elliott Gould, Kelsey Grammer, Robert Haas, Jim Harrison, Kevin Hart, Ethan Hawke, Jesse Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Jett, Larry King, Padma Lakshmi, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lyle Lovett, James Meredith, Helen Mirren, Keith Olbermann, Gary Oldman, Yoko Ono, Mary-Louise Parker, Pelé, Sean Penn, Robert Redford, Lionel Richie, Amy Schumer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Slash, Aaron Sorkin, Harry Dean Stanton, Sting, Donald Sutherland, Jeffrey Tambor, Christopher Walken, Sigourney Weaver, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, and Thom Yorke.

National Book Critics Circle Award finalist David R. Dow confronts the reality of his work on death row when his father-in-law is diagnosed with lethal melanoma, his beloved Doberman becomes fatally ill, and his young son begins to comprehend the implications of mortality. "Every life is different, but every death is the same. We live with others. We die alone." In his riveting, artfully written memoir The Autobiography of an Execution, David Dow enraptured readers with a searing and frank exploration of his work defending inmates on death row. But when Dow's father-in-law receives his own death sentence in the form of terminal cancer, and his gentle dog Winona suffers acute liver failure, the author is forced to reconcile with death in a far more personal way, both as a son and as a father. Told through the disparate lenses of the legal battles he's spent a career fighting, and the intimate confrontations with death each family faces at home, Things I've Learned From Dyingoffers a poignant and lyrical account of how illness and loss can ravage a family. Full of grace and intelligence, Dow offers readers hope without cliche and reaffirms our basic human needs for acceptance and love by giving voice to the anguish we all face--as parents, as children, as partners, as friends--when our loved ones die tragically, and far too soon.

"I am a work in progress. There are times when I feel in control and like I know what I'm doing...and there are times (quite a few)(actually lots) when I've got no idea whats going on, where to turn, what to do, how to behave, and those are the times I've sought help! I have been helped by some extraordinary people. I've been supported and counselled through my recovery from drugs and alcohol. I've been hypnotised to get me through going to the bottom of the sea in a sub (life at the extreme). I've read a squibillion (that's a lot) of fantastic self help books and I have shared and shared with the greatest girlfriends and family of all time. These nuggets of wisdom have at times literally kept me going, so I thought I'd pay it forward and share them with you." Presenter, wife, mother, fundraiser, fitness inspiration and now bestselling author,is there nothing Davina McCall cannot do? But success didn't come easy for Davina, and she has faced many challenges along the way. In this long-awaited book, she shares all the tips and wisdom she has picked up on her 'work-in-progress' journey. Written in the accessible, easy-going and humorous way that Davina has become famous and loved for, Lessons I've Learned will motivate readers to reach their goals, find happiness and fulfillment, and feel more confident.

Say thank you to a teacher with this small hardcover gift book featuring art by Dr. Seuss! An ideal choice in place of a greeting card, this charming keepsake includes unrhymed lines of appreciation for the many different ways that teachers help shape our lives! Illustrated throughout with art from classic Dr. Seuss books, this mini hardcover gift book celebrates all the things we learn from our teachers, from traditional subjects like reading, math, history, science, art, music, and physical fitness to character traits like sharing, helping others, working in teams, and finding our own way. An ideal end-of-year gift, it's the perfect small thank for teachers of all grades—from kindergarten through graduate school!

This book began as a list designer Sagmeister made in his diary under the title Things I have learned in my life so far and transformed these sentences into typographic works. This series is revealed as a complex blend of personal revelation, art, and design.

"Kushner distills nine essential lessons from the sum of his teaching, study, and experience, offering a lifetime's worth of spiritual food for thought, pragmatic advice, inspiration for better living, and strength for trying times. With ... insights into everything from belief ('there is no commandment in Judaism to believe in God'), to conscience (the Garden of Eden story as you've never heard it), to mercy ('forgiveness is a favor you do yourself, not a favor to the person who offended you'), grounded in Kushner's ... readings of Scripture, history, and popular culture, [this book] is a capstone addition to Kushner's oeuvre"--

"I am so proud to be Jamie's 'dad.' She is not only a talented actress but also a bright, generous, and inspiring young lady." -- James Gandolfini "Jamie-Lynn Sigler definitely knows how to inspire people....I'm grateful to call her my friend." -- Lance Bass, *N'SYNC SHE'S YOUNG, TALENTED, BEAUTIFUL AND FAMOUS. BUT NOTHING IS THAT SIMPLE... Everyone knows Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano on the HBO hit television series The Sopranos. But there's so much more to her, as her candid, outspoken autobiography proves. In Wise Girl, Jamie-Lynn reveals both the perks and the pressures that have come with fame, and how uncertain, fearful times have made her stronger, more confident, and able to face life's challenges. Writing openly and from the heart, she describes the emotional and physical toll taken when Lyme disease left the healthy 19-year-old paralyzed at the height of The Soprano's popularity; an obsession with her weight that nearly destroyed her career; and the dark side of overnight success. Her story will both surprise and inspire you. For this wise girl, the key to success isn't just what's on the outside -- it's using your brains, going with your gut, and learning from your experiences, including the mistakes, every day.

He’s one of America’s most recognizable and acclaimed actors–a star on Broadway, an Oscar nominee for The Aviator, and the only person to ever win Emmys for acting, writing, and directing, during his eleven years on M*A*S*H. Now Alan Alda has written a memoir as elegant, funny, and affecting as his greatest performances. “My mother didn’t try to stab my father until I was six,” begins Alda’s irresistible story. The son of a popular actor and a loving but mentally ill mother, he spent his early childhood backstage in the erotic and comic world of burlesque and went on, after early struggles, to achieve extraordinary success in his profession. Yet Never Have Your Dog Stuffed is not a memoir of show-business ups and downs. It is a moving and funny story of a boy growing into a man who then realizes he has only just begun to grow. It is the story of turning points in Alda’s life, events that would make him what he is–if only he could survive them. From the moment as a boy when his dead dog is returned from the taxidermist’s shop with a hideous expression on his face, and he learns that death can’t be undone, to the decades-long effort to find compassion for the mother he lived with but never knew, to his acceptance of his father, both personally and professionally, Alda learns the hard way that change, uncertainty, and transformation are what life is made of, and true happiness is found in embracing them. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, filled with curiosity about nature, good humor, and honesty, is the crowning achievement of an actor, author, and director, but surprisingly, it is the story of a life more filled with turbulence and laughter than any Alda has ever played on the stage or screen.

Teenager Danae Jacobson, an exciting new voice in young adult publishing, offers insights and asks questions gleaned from a perceptive and refreshingly simple view of the world around her. In a debut book, Things I've Learned Lately, her short essays on the life lessons she's experienced discuss everything from love and relationships to the meaning of seasons and of death. Chapters include "Midnight Laughing Cleanses You," "There Is a Time for Everything," and "The Stars Shine Brighter When There Is No Moon." Danae explores simple truths such as, "Forgiving someone is proof of your love," and, "Coincidences are really 'God-things,'" offering an honest, hopeful approach to young people who, like herself, are striving to match the challenges of life with a firm faith.

Sure to inspire and enlighten, this handy volume of 100 great principles to live by is a revelation at any age, but an especially great graduation present. Not your typical lackluster—and might we add heavy—book of quotes, EVERYTHING I’VE LEARNED is a practical volume rich in words to live by: words that are sometimes quirky, definitely wise, and always right on target. Readers will learn from such luminaries as Theodore Roosevelt, John Wayne, Joan Baez, and even the prolific Anonymous, and realize that life is about seizing the day, living in the moment, and being true to oneself. Divided into eight categories, the principles here include such practical wisdom as “Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut” (Ernest Hemingway) and familiar, but time-tested, words to live by like “Know thyself” (The Delphic Oracle).