TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of January 11, 2004

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1
NEW
WHO'S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU?
Bill O'Reilly
Cover of WHO'S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU?

WHO'S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU?

by Bill O'Reilly · Broadway

From the mega-bestselling author of The O'Reilly Factor and The No Spin Zone, a no-holds-barred exposé of the people and institutions who are letting Americans down – and what we should do about it. Bill O’Reilly is mad as hell – and he’s not going to let you take it anymore. In his most powerful and personal book yet, this media powerhouse and unstoppable truth-teller takes on those individuals and institutions in American life who are failing in their duties – big-time. In his inimitable style, mixing wit, pugnacity, and plain common sense, O’Reilly kicks butt and takes (and also names) names – from crooked corporate weasels to venal politicians to lazy and/or politically correct bureaucrats to sexually predatory priests and the Church hierarchy that protects them to a media establishment rife with political bias and economically hooked on violence and smut. At the same time that he calls the famous and powerful to account, he dares to get personal, questioning just how much our closest friends, families, and lovers do look out for us, and delivering a powerful message about personal responsibility and self-reliance in an uncertain world. He forces us to ask just how much genuine altruism is left in a society that thrives on self-indulgence and ruthless competition. Who’s Looking Out for You? is a book that boldly confronts our worst fears and biggest problems in a post-9/11, post-corporate-meltdown world. Its sage, candid advice on regaining control and trust in these troubled times will resonate with the millions of readers and viewers who have come to believe in Bill O’Reilly as the man who speaks for them.

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LIES (AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM)
Al Franken
Cover of LIES (AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM)

LIES (AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM)

by Al Franken · Dutton

19 wks on list

Al Franken, one of America's savviest satirists has been studying the rhetoric of the Right. He has listened to their cries of 'slander', 'bias' and even 'treason'. He has examined the Bush administration's policies of squandering our surplus, ravaging the environment, and alienating the rest of the world. He's even watched Fox News. A lot. And in this fair and balanced report, Al bravely exposes them all for what they are: liars. Lying, lying, liars.

3
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DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY?
Michael Moore
Cover of DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY?

DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY?

by Michael Moore · Warner

#1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Moore's incisive examination of the failures of the United State's political system, paired with thoughtful guidance on how to move forward. In case anyone in Washington hasn't noticed, Americans are fed up with the status quo. In this, the first shot fired over the bow of the 2004 Presidential election, Michael Moore aims to unseat the man who slithered into the White House on tracks built by the bloody hands of Enron and greased with the oil of his daddy. As if an unelected, semi-literate president weren't problem enough, America's Democrats have managed to take the liberty out of "liberal," signing on with the G.O.P. for dirty corporate money and the ill-gotten gains of globalization. The "left" is just as satisfied as the right to stand idly by as the chasm between the haves and the have-nots grows wider and wider. Thank god for Michael Moore because Dude, Where's My Country tells us precisely what went wrong, and, more importantly, how to fix things. In a voice that is fearless, funny, and furious, Moore takes readers to the edge of righteous laughter and divine revenge.

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FLYBOYS
James Bradley
Cover of FLYBOYS

FLYBOYS

by James Bradley · Little, Brown

13 wks on list

FLYBOYS is the true story of young American airmen who were shot down over Chichi Jima. Eight of these young men were captured by Japanese troops and taken prisoner. Another was rescued by an American submarine and went on to become president. The reality of what happened to the eight prisoners has remained a secret for almost 60 years. After the war, the American and Japanese governments conspired to cover up the shocking truth. Not even the families of the airmen were informed what had happened to their sons. It has remained a mystery--until now. Critics called James Bradley's last book "the best book on battle ever written." FLYBOYS is even better: more ambitious, more powerful, and more moving. On the island of Chichi Jima those young men would face the ultimate test. Their story--a tale of courage and daring, of war and of death, of men and of hope--will make you proud, and it will break your heart.

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FRANKLIN AND WINSTON
Jon Meacham
Cover of FRANKLIN AND WINSTON

FRANKLIN AND WINSTON

by Jon Meacham · Random House

7 wks on list

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this “beautifully written and superbly researched dual biography” (Los Angeles Times Book Review), Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Jon Meacham “paints a powerful portrait of the enormous friendship between World War II allies [Franklin] Roosevelt and [Winston] Churchill” (Vanity Fair). “Intense and compelling reading.”—The Washington Post Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were the greatest leaders of “the Greatest Generation.” In Franklin and Winston, Jon Meacham explores the fascinating relationship between the two men who piloted the free world to victory in World War II. Born in the nineteenth century and molders of the twentieth and twenty-first, Roosevelt and Churchill had much in common. In their own time both men were underestimated, dismissed as arrogant, and faced skeptics in their own nations—yet both magnificently rose to the central challenges of the twentieth century. Theirs was a kind of love story, with an emotional Churchill courting an elusive Roosevelt. The British prime minister, who rallied his nation in its darkest hour, standing alone against Adolf Hitler, was always somewhat insecure about his place in FDR’s affections—which was the way Roosevelt wanted it. A man of secrets, FDR liked to keep people off balance, including his wife, Eleanor, his White House aides—and Winston Churchill. Meacham’s sources—including unpublished letters of FDR’ s great secret love, Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, the papers of Pamela Churchill Harriman, and interviews with people who were in FDR and Churchill’s joint company—shed light on the characters of both men as he engagingly chronicles the hours in which they decided the course of the struggle. Charting the personal drama behind the discussions of strategy and statecraft, Meacham has written the definitive account of the most remarkable friendship of the modern age.

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AMERICA 24/7, created
Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen
Cover of AMERICA 24/7, created

AMERICA 24/7, created

by Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen · DK

From the deserts of Arizona to the bustling streets of New York, from the palm trees of Hawaii and the igloos of Alaska, this is a portrait of America by the American people. Thousands of photographers, both professional and amateur, capture the hopes, dreams, reality and failures of a nation. This volume is a digital time capsule of American life, showcasing the best photographs as documented by up to a million or more participants from across the United States.

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A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING
Bill Bryson
Cover of A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING

A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING

by Bill Bryson · Broadway

25 wks on list

In this book Bill Bryson attempts to understand everything that has transpired from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization.

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NEW
BUSHWHACKED
Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose
Cover of BUSHWHACKED

BUSHWHACKED

by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose · Random House

12 wks on list

A simultaneously rollicking and sobering indictment of the policies of President George W. Bush, Bushwhacked chronicles the destructive impact of the Bush administration on the very people who put him in the White House in the first place. Here are the ties that connected Bush to Enron, yes, but here, too, is the story of the woman who walks six miles to the unemployment office daily, wondering what happened to the economic security Bush promised. Here are reports on failed nation-building missions in Kabul and Baghdad. Here, too, the story of a rancher who has fallen prey to a Bush-Cheney interior department that is perhaps a wee bit too cozy with the oil industry. Bushwhacked is highly original and entirely thought-provoking—essential reading for anyone living in George W. Bush's America.

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HAD ENOUGH?
James Carville with Jeff Nussbaum
Cover of HAD ENOUGH?

HAD ENOUGH?

by James Carville with Jeff Nussbaum · Simon & Schuster

1 wks on list

"In Had Enough? the legendary political adviser comes out of his corner swinging, taking on the Bush White House and the Republican leaders in Congress on every front - from the economy to education to foreign affairs. But he doesn't just attack; he lays out constructive "had enough" solutions for healing the damage done by the Republicans and helping disheartened Democrats get back on their feet. In addition, he offers "Ten Rules for Progressives to Live By" and a new War Room mantra for a new era."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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THE FUNNY THING IS . . .
Ellen DeGeneres
Cover of THE FUNNY THING IS . . .

THE FUNNY THING IS . . .

by Ellen DeGeneres · Simon & Schuster

7 wks on list

An indispensable reference for anyone who knows how to read—or wants to fool people into thinking they do—The Funny Thing Is... is sure to make you laugh. Ellen DeGeneres published her first book of comic essays, the #1 bestselling My Point...And I Do Have One, way back in 1996. Not one to rest on her laurels, the witty star of stage and screen has since dedicated her life to writing a hilarious new book. That book is this book. After years of painstaking, round-the-clock research, surviving on a mere twenty minutes of sleep a night, and collaborating with lexicographers, plumbers, and mathematicians, DeGeneres has crafted a work that is both easy to use and very funny. Along with her trademark ramblings, The Funny Thing Is... contains hundreds of succinct insights into her psyche and offers innovative features including: -More than 50,000 simple, short words arranged in sentences that form paragraphs. -Thousands of observations on everyday life—from terrible fashion trends to how to handle seating arrangements for a Sunday brunch with Paula Abdul, Diane Sawyer, and Eminem. -All twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

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LIVING TO TELL THE TALE
Gabriel García Márquez
Cover of LIVING TO TELL THE TALE

LIVING TO TELL THE TALE

by Gabriel García Márquez · Knopf

4 wks on list

Pocos libros han despertado tanta expectación en todo el mundo como la autobiografía de Gabriel García Márquez, autor de Cien años de soledad y ganador del Premio Nobel de Literatura. En sus memorias, García Márquez nos habla de su infancia y primera juventud en Colombia, ofreciéndonos una crónica de los años que modelaron su imaginación y que, andando el tiempo, cristalizarían en algunos de los relatos y novelas más importantes del siglo XX. En sus páginas el lector se encontrará con episodios como el conmovedor retrato de sus abuelos, con quienes se crió en su aldea natal de Aracataca, o la descripción del asesinato de un candidato presidencial en Bogotá, del que fue testigo ocular. García Márquez da cuenta de las gentes, los lugares y los sucesos que le sirvieron de acicate como periodista y como narrador. Desbordante de humor y sabiduría, el autor se adentra por igual en los misterios de la escritura y de la vida, brindándonos un relato apasionante de la búsqueda de sus orígenes que despierta ecos de los mejores momentos de la prosa de su ficción. Además de un escrito de extraordinario mérito literario, Vivir para contarla constituye una guía indispensable para entender el resto de su obra.

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