TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of June 21, 2009

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
Jump to
1
LIBERTY AND TYRANNY
Mark R. Levin
Cover of LIBERTY AND TYRANNY

LIBERTY AND TYRANNY

by Mark R. Levin · Threshold Editions

12 wks at #1 · 11 on list

Don’t miss syndicated radio host and author Mark Levin's #1 New York Times acclaimed and longtime bestselling manifesto for the conservative movement. When nationally syndicated radio host Mark R. Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny appeared in the early months of the Obama presidency, Americans responded by making his clarion call for a new era in conservatism a #1 New York Times bestseller for an astounding twelve weeks. As provocative, well-reasoned, robust, and informed as his on-air commentary, with his love of our country and the legacy of our Founding Fathers reflected on every page, Levin’s galvanizing narrative provides a philosophical, historical, and practical framework for revitalizing the conservative vision and ensuring the preservation of American society. In the face of the modern liberal assault on Constitution-based values, an attack that has resulted in a federal government that is a massive, unaccountable conglomerate, the time for reinforcing the intellectual and practical case for conservatism is now. In a series of powerful essays, Levin lays out how conservatives can counter the tyrannical liberal corrosion that has filtered into every timely issue affecting our daily lives, from the economy to health care, global warming to immigration, and more.

3
HORSE SOLDIERS
Doug Stanton
Cover of HORSE SOLDIERS

HORSE SOLDIERS

by Doug Stanton · Scribner

4 wks on list

The inspiration for the major motion picture 12 Strong from Jerry Bruckheimer, starring Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon. From the New York Times bestselling author of In Harm’s Way comes a true-life story of American soldiers overcoming great odds to achieve a stunning military victory. Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy army across the mountainous Afghanistan terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential to defeat their opponent throughout the country. The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators as they rode into the city, and the streets thronged with Afghans overjoyed that the Taliban regime had been overthrown. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed by the would-be POWs. Dangerously overpowered, they fought for their lives in the city’s immense fortress, Qala-i-Janghi, or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the entire effort to outmaneuver the Taliban was likely doomed. Deeply researched and beautifully written, Stanton’s account of the Americans’ quest to liberate an oppressed people touches the mythic. The soldiers on horses combined ancient strategies of cavalry warfare with twenty-first-century aerial bombardment technology to perform a seemingly impossible feat. Moreover, their careful effort to win the hearts of local townspeople proved a valuable lesson for America’s ongoing efforts in Afghanistan.

4
NEW
RENEGADE
Richard Wolffe
Cover of RENEGADE

RENEGADE

by Richard Wolffe · Crown

1 wks on list

During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama himself told veteran political reporter Richard Wolffe, 'You'll get more access than anyone else', and Renegade is his unique story of how a political newcomer with no money and an outsider's name grew into the world's most powerful leader. But it is also a uniquely intimate portrait of the person behind the iconic posters and the man codenamed 'Renegade' by his Secret Service protectors. Wolffe portrays an historic candidate and his - until now - inscrutable character and campaign in untold, stunning detail, from his university lecturer's office in Iowa to the Oval Office in Washington. With unprecedented access, gained over a dozen exclusive interviews with Obama, Wolffe shares with us his front row seat. We fly on the candidate's plane and ride in his bus on an odyssey across a country in crisis; we stand next to him at a bar on the night he secures the nomination; and feel the tension backstage as he delivers his convention speech to a stadium crowd and a transfixed TV audience. Renegade is not just an election epic but is also an insightful biography of the new President of the United States.

6
1
THE GIRLS FROM AMES
Jeffrey Zaslow
Cover of THE GIRLS FROM AMES

THE GIRLS FROM AMES

by Jeffrey Zaslow · Gotham

7 wks on list

The instant New York Times bestseller, now in paperback: a moving tribute to female friendships, with the inspiring story of eleven girls and the ten women they became, from the coauthor of the million-copy bestseller The Last Lecture As children, they formed a special bond, growing up in the small town of Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eighth different states, yet they managed to maintain an extraordinary friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, the death of a child, and the mysterious death of the eleventh member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the enduring, deep bonds of women as they experience life's challenges, and the power of friendship to overcome even the most daunting odds. The girls, now in their forties, have a lifetime of memories in common, some evocative of their generation and some that will resonate with any woman who has ever had a friend. The Girls from Ames demonstrates how close female relationships can shape every aspect of women's lives-their sense of themselves, their choice of men, their need for validation, their relationships with their mothers, their dreams for their daughters-and reveals how such friendships thrive, rewarding those who have committed to them. With both universal events and deeply personal moments, it's a book that every woman will relate to and be inspired by.

8
4
RESILIENCE
Elizabeth Edwards

RESILIENCE

by Elizabeth Edwards · Broadway

5 wks on list

Elizabeth Edwards crafts an unsentimental and ultimately inspirational meditation on dealing with life's biggest challenges.

9
NEW
HOME GAME
Michael Lewis
Cover of HOME GAME

HOME GAME

by Michael Lewis · Norton

1 wks on list
10
4
MY REMARKABLE JOURNEY
Larry King with Cal Fussman
Cover of MY REMARKABLE JOURNEY

MY REMARKABLE JOURNEY

by Larry King with Cal Fussman · Weinstein

3 wks on list

The host of CNN's "Larry King Live" shares his riveting story--from his humble roots in Depression-era Brooklyn to the heights of celebrity, in an account filled with personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes observations on important world figures.

13
1
ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA
Chelsea Handler
Cover of ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA

ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA

by Chelsea Handler · Simon Spotlight Entertainment

44 wks on list

Welcome to Chelsea Handler's world—a place where absurdity reigns supreme and a quick wit is the best line of defense. When Chelsea Handler needs to get a few things off her chest, she appeals to a higher power—vodka. Seems reasonable, when considering that she discovered her boyfriend was having an affair with a Peekapoo and she had to pretend to be honeymooning with her father in order to upgrade to first class. In this highly entertaining, deliciously skewed collection, Chelsea mines her past for stories about her family, relationships, and career that are at once singular and ridiculous. Whether she’s convincing her third-grade class that she has been chosen to play Goldie Hawn’s daughter in the sequel to Private Benjamin, deciding to be more egalitarian by dating a redhead, or looking out for a foulmouthed, rum-swilling little person who looks just like her...only smaller, Chelsea has a knack for getting herself into the most outrageous situations. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea showcases the candor and irresistible turns of phrase that have made her one of the freshest voices in comedy today.

14
4
THE END OF OVEREATING
David A. Kessler
Cover of THE END OF OVEREATING

THE END OF OVEREATING

by David A. Kessler · Rodale

6 wks on list

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The former commissioner of the FDA exposes how the food industry manufactured a nationwide health crisis and offers research-based solutions for taking back control of our diets. “Fascinating.”—The New York Times “Groundbreaking.”—USA Today “Disturbing, thought-provoking, and important.”—Anthony Bourdain Most of us know what it feels like to fall under the spell of food, but it’s harder to understand why we can’t seem to stop eating—even when we want to. So why do we continue to reach for food? Dr. David A. Kessler, the dynamic and controversial former FDA commissioner known for his crusade against the tobacco industry, is taking on another business that’s making America sick: the food industry. Nearly 75 percent of American adults are clinically overweight or obese, triple the amount from only sixty years ago. But why? In The End of Overeating, Dr. Kessler shows us how our brain chemistry has been hijacked by the foods we most love to eat: those containing stimulating combinations of fat, sugar, and salt. Food manufacturers create products by manipulating these ingredients to stimulate our appetites, setting in motion a cycle of desire and consumption that ends with a nation of overeaters. Drawing from the latest brain science as well as interviews with top physicians and food industry insiders, The End of Overeating exposes the food industry’s aggressive marketing tactics and reveals shocking facts about how we lost control over food—and what we can do to get it back.

15
7
LOSING MUM AND PUP
Christopher Buckley
Cover of LOSING MUM AND PUP

LOSING MUM AND PUP

by Christopher Buckley · Twelve

6 wks on list

Bestselling author Buckley's most personal and transcendent work--the tragicomic true story of the year in which he lost both of his parents. The author offers consolation, wit, and warmth to those coping with the death of a mother or father.

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