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Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of April 21, 2002

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1
NEW
LUCKY MAN
Michael J. Fox

LUCKY MAN

by Michael J. Fox · Hyperion

5 wks at #1 · 1 on list

Autobiografie van de Amerikaanse filmacteur (1961- ), die in 2000 zijn carrière heeft moeten beëindigen vanwege de ziekte van Parkinson.

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A MIND AT A TIME
Mel Levine
Cover of A MIND AT A TIME

A MIND AT A TIME

by Mel Levine · Simon & Schuster

2 wks on list

"Different minds learn differently," writes Dr. Mel Levine, one of the best-known education experts and pediatricians in America today. And that's a problem for many children, because most schools still cling to a one-size-fits-all education philosophy. As a result, these children struggle because their learning patterns don't fit the schools they are in. In A Mind at a Time, Dr. Levine shows parents and others who care for children how to identify these individual learning patterns. He explains how parents and teachers can encourage a child's strengths and bypass the child's weaknesses. This type of teaching produces satisfaction and achievement instead of frustration and failure. Different brains are differently wired, Dr. Levine explains. There are eight fundamental systems, or components, of learning that draw on a variety of neurodevelopmental capacities. Some students are strong in certain areas and some are strong in others, but no one is equally capable in all eight. Using examples drawn from his own extensive experience, Dr. Levine shows how parents and children can identify their strengths and weaknesses to determine their individual learning styles. For example, some students are creative and write imaginatively but do poorly in history because weak memory skills prevent them from retaining facts. Some students are weak in sequential ordering and can't follow directions. They may test poorly and often don't do well in mathematics. In these cases, Dr. Levine observes, the problem is not a lack of intelligence but a learning style that doesn't fit the assignment. Drawing on his pioneering research and his work with thousands of students, Dr. Levine shows how parents and teachers can develop effective strategies to work through or around these weaknesses. "It's taken for granted in adult society that we cannot all be 'generalists' skilled in every area of learning and mastery. Nevertheless, we apply tremendous pressure to our children to be good at everything. They are expected to shine in math, reading, writing, speaking, spelling, memorization, comprehension, problem solving...and none of us adults can" do all this, observes Dr. Levine. Learning begins in school but it doesn't end there. Frustrating a child's desire to learn will have lifelong repercussions. This frustration can be avoided if we understand that not every child can do equally well in every type of learning. We must begin to pay more attention to individual learning styles, to individual minds, urges Dr. Levine, so that we can maximize children's learning potential. In A Mind at a Time he shows us how.

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KNIGHT: My Story
Bob Knight with Bob Hammel
Cover of KNIGHT: My Story

KNIGHT: My Story

by Bob Knight with Bob Hammel · Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's

2 wks on list

A riveting glimpse into the life and legacy of the legendary basketball coach "that will intrigue knowledgeable college hoop fans" ( Kirkus Reviews). Immerse yourself in the riveting memoir of Bob Knight, a titan in the world of college basketball, whose towering success and public controversies epitomize a storied career spanning over three decades. Embodying both triumph and turmoil, Knight: My Story goes beyond headlines, offering an intimate, first-hand account of a sports legend. From his humble beginnings as the youngest head coach at Army to constructing a formidable dynasty at Indiana University, Knight's journey is a testament to resolute determination and undying passion. Drawing from his experiences, Knight provides a rare glimpse into the winning strategies and philosophies that kept top players lining up to play under his guidance. From winning an unprecedented 700 plus games and becoming National Coach of the Year four times to meeting unparalleled success on the national and international stage, Knight's contributions to college basketball are truly unmatched. Knight is a must-read for college basketball fans and anyone captivated by the timeless power of leadership, dedication, and college sports. "There is a fascinating man hiding in these pages, a man whose multisided personality, startling depth, and undeniable intelligence may surprise many." — Booklist "The text is a lively read flavored with scores of anecdotes involving famous athletes, coaches, politicians, and other public figures with whom Knight has come into contact." — Library Journal "They say there are two sides to every story. In Knight, Bob Knight presents his, well told." — Book Page

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STUPID WHITE MEN
Michael Moore
Cover of STUPID WHITE MEN

STUPID WHITE MEN

by Michael Moore · ReganBooks/ HarperCollins

7 wks on list

Rember when everything was looking up? When the government was running at a surplus pollution was disappearing peace was breaking out in the middle East and Northern Ireland and the Bridge to the Twenty-First century was strung with Internet cable and paved with 401 (k) gold? Well, so much for the future. Michael Moore the award winning povocateur behind Roger & Me and the best seller Downsize This! now returns to size up the new century and that big, ugly special interest group that's laying waste to the world as we know it: stupid white men. Among the targets of Mike's Manifesto on Malfeasance and mediocrity are the Bush family Junta, Bll Clinton the Idiot Nation and Corporate American.

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REPORT FROM GROUND ZERO
Dennis Smith

REPORT FROM GROUND ZERO

by Dennis Smith · Viking Press

3 wks on list

Immediately after two hijacked jets struck the twin towers of the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, Dennis Smith, a retired firefighter who had served eighteen years with the New York City Fire Department, reported to Manhattan's Ladder Co. 16 to volunteer in the rescue effort. Among those missing were 343 firefighters, many of whom were his friends and longtime colleagues. & Smith uses his unique background as both respected writer and experienced firefighter to tell the story of the disaster and its aftermath as only an insider could do. This account opens with astonishing first-person testimonies from dozens of the rescuers who were present as the towers were attacked, evacuated and then fell. We hear harrowing stories of death and heroism, and miraculous stories of survival. We share the grief of the families of firefighters awaiting word of their loved ones' fate. & Report From Ground Zero is the most detailed and immediate record we will have of this unforgettable event that has permanently altered the character of America.

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BLINDED BY THE RIGHT
David Brock
Cover of BLINDED BY THE RIGHT

BLINDED BY THE RIGHT

by David Brock · Crown

4 wks on list

In a powerful and deeply personal memoir David Brock, the original right-wing scandal reporter, chronicles his rise to the pinnacle of the conservative movement and his painful break with it. David Brock pilloried Anita Hill in a bestseller. His reporting in The American Spectator as part of the infamous “Arkansas Project” triggered the course of events that led to the historic impeachment trial of President Clinton. Brock was at the center of the right-wing dirty tricks operation of the Gingrich era—and a true believer—until he could no longer deny that the political force he was advancing was built on little more than lies, hate, and hypocrisy. In Blinded By the Right, Brock, who came out of the closet at the height of his conservative renown, tells his riveting story from the beginning, giving us the first insider’s view of what Hillary Rodham Clinton called “the vast right-wing conspiracy.” Whether dealing with the right-wing press, the richly endowed think tanks, Republican political operatives, or the Paula Jones case, Brock names names from Clarence Thomas on down, uncovers hidden links, and demonstrates how the Republican Right’s zeal for power created the poisonous political climate that culminated in George W. Bush’s election. With a new afterword by the author, Blinded By the Right is a classic political memoir of our times.

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BIAS
Bernard Goldberg

BIAS

by Bernard Goldberg · Regnery

18 wks on list
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NEW
A SONG FLUNG UP TO HEAVEN
Maya Angelou

A SONG FLUNG UP TO HEAVEN

by Maya Angelou · Random House

1 wks on list

"A Song Flung Up to Heaven" opens as Maya Angelou returns from Africa to the United States to work with Malcolm X and later Martin Luther King, Jr., who are both soon assassinated. Devastated, she tries to put her life back together. This book ends as Angelou begins to write the first sentences of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

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SHAKEDOWN
Kenneth R. Timmerman
Cover of SHAKEDOWN

SHAKEDOWN

by Kenneth R. Timmerman · Regnery

5 wks on list

Jesse Jackson is a modern day highway robber, says veteran investigative reporter Kenneth R. Timmerman, who uses cries of racism to steal from individuals, corporations, and government, to give to himself. Until now, however, no one has been brave enough to say it and diligent enough to prove it. But Ken Timmerman has cracked Jackson's machine, found Jackson cronies willing to break ranks, and uncovered a sordid tale of greed, ambition, and corruption from a self-proclaimed minister who has no qualms about poisoning American race relations for personal gain.

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STILL WOMAN ENOUGH
Loretta Lynn with Patsi Bale Cox
Cover of STILL WOMAN ENOUGH

STILL WOMAN ENOUGH

by Loretta Lynn with Patsi Bale Cox · Hyperion

1 wks on list

In this riveting follow-up to her #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, Coal Miner's Daughter, Loretta Lynn continues her captivating story about triumph over the odds. Loretta Lynn's first memoir, Coal Miner's Daughter, was a #1 national bestseller that sparked an Oscar-winning movie and left fans hungry for more. Now Loretta finishes that story, and the second half of her life is every bit as remarkable and inspiring as the first. In a friendly, down-home style that belies her stature as country music's most celebrated performer, Loretta writes candidly about the price of fame and the stresses of stardom; tells of friends and family she's loved and lost along the way; and shares secrets not included in her first book. But at the heart of this memoir is her stormy relationship with Doo, the man she married at thirteen and stayed with until he died, through his drinking, their violent arguments, and their passionate reconciliations. Loretta reveals the devotion behind "one of the hardest love stories in the world." Filled with intimate portraits of country legends, and brimming with folksy humor, this personal tale of grit, determination, and loyalty will enthrall Loretta's countless fans and anyone who adores a good old-fashioned love story. Loretta Lynn, the most celebrated entertainer in the history of country music has a lot to sing about: --9 gold albums --A national bestselling book and film, Coal Miner's Daughter --First female artist to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year --First country artist to win the prestigious Golden Plate award given to those who excel in all fields of achievement worldwide --First female recording artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame --Longtime member of the Country Music Hall of Fame --One of Entertainment Weekly's 100 Entertainers for 1950-2000 --One of Ladies Home Journal's 10 Most Admired Women of the World

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DRIVER #8
Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Jade Gurss
Cover of DRIVER #8

DRIVER #8

by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Jade Gurss · Warner

11 wks on list

Powered by a high-octane mix of bravado and humility, Dale Jr. shares the victory and joy, tragedy and heartbreak in his first Winston Cup season. Here are the crowds, the endless travel, and the behind-the-scenes action while Dale Jr. tries to carve out his own identity and win the respect of his peers. He shows you how races are won or lost, the bonds between a driver and his team-and the weight of racing against a man who is not only your father but also your boss, your toughest competitor, and a NASCAR legend. From the crush of the media to split-second, life-and-death decisions behind the wheel, Driver #8 is one helluva ride.

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WHAT WENT WRONG?
Bernard Lewis
Cover of WHAT WENT WRONG?

WHAT WENT WRONG?

by Bernard Lewis · Oxford University Press

In this landmark volume, an authority on the Middle East examines the anguished reaction of the Islamic world as it tries to understand why things have changed, how they have been overtaken, overshadowed, and to an increasing extent dominated by the West. 15 illustrations. Map.

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LOVE, GREG & LAUREN
Greg Manning
Cover of LOVE, GREG & LAUREN

LOVE, GREG & LAUREN

by Greg Manning · Bantam

4 wks on list

Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, Lauren Manning-a wife, the mother of a ten-month-old son, and a senior vice president and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald-came to work, as always, at One World Trade Center. As she stepped into the lobby, a fireball exploded from the elevator shaft, and in that split second her life was changed forever. Lauren was burned over 82.5 percent of her body. As he watched his wife lie in a drug-induced coma in the ICU of the Burn Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Greg Manning began writing a daily journal. In the form of e-mails to family, friends, and colleagues, he recorded Lauren’s harrowing struggle-and his own tormented efforts to make sense of an act that defies all understanding. This book is that e-mail diary: detailed, intimate, inspiring messages that end, always, as if a prayer for a happy outcome: LOVE, GREG & LAUREN We share this story day by astonishing day. Greg writes of the intricate surgeries, the painful therapies, and the constant risk of infection Lauren endured. Through his eyes we come to know the doctors, nurses, aides, and therapists who cared for her around the clock with untiring devotion and sensitivity. We also come to know the families with whom he shared wrenching hospital vigils for their own loved ones who were waging a battle that some would not win. It was, most of all, Greg’s belief that Lauren would win her brave fight for life that kept him writing. Through his eyes we see what she could not-their toddler’s first steps, the video of his first birthday party, the compassionate messages of hope from around the world. And we are there as Lauren gradually emerges into awareness, signaling first with her eyes, then with smiles, her understanding of the words Greg speaks to her, the poems he recites, the songs he plays. Most miraculously, we are there when Lauren walks out of the Burn Center. The world knows all too well both the nightmare and the heroism that have marked this terrible time in history. But no account of September 11 matches the astonishing personal story Greg Manning records in these spontaneous and heartfelt pages. It is a story that invites us to share, e-mail after e-mail, the perilous course of a mortally wounded woman who by sheer will and courage emerges from near death because she is determined to live for her husband and her son. And it is equally the story of a man who, as he stays by her side through these long weeks and months, discovers anew the depth of his love and admiration for the woman who becomes his hero.

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THE NATURAL
Joe Klein
Cover of THE NATURAL

THE NATURAL

by Joe Klein · Doubleday

2 wks on list

Joe Klein, best-selling author of Primary Colors and one of our most brilliant political analysts, now tackles the subject he knows best: Bill Clinton. Astute, even-handed, and keenly intelligent, The Natural is the only book to read if you want to understand exactly what happened–to the military, to the economy, to the American people, to the country–during Bill Clinton’s presidency, and how the decisions made during his tenure affect all of us today. Much has been written about Clinton, but The Natural is the first work to cut through the gossip, scandals, media hype, and emotional turbulence that Clinton always engendered, to step back and rationally analyze the eight years of his tenure, a period during which America rose to unprecedented levels of prosperity. Joe Klein puts that record into perspective, showing us what worked and what didn’t, exactly what was accomplished and why, and who was responsible for the successes and the failures. We see how the Clinton White House functioned on the inside, how it dealt with the maneuvers of Congress and the Gingrich revolution, and who held power and made the decisions during the endless crises that beset the administration. Klein’s access to the White House over the years as a journalist gave him a prime spot from which to view every crucial event–both political and personal–and he sets them forth in an insightful, readable, and completely engrossing manner. The Natural is stern in its criticism and convincing with its praise. It will cause endless debate amongst friends and foes of the Clinton administration. It is a book that anyone interested in contemporary politics, in American history, or in the functioning of our democracy, should read.

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.