Hardcover Nonfiction

by Walter Isaacson · Simon & Schuster

Based on more than 40 interviews with Jobs conducted over two years--as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues--Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard · Holt

A riveting historical narrative of the heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the first work of history from mega-bestselling author Bill O'Reilly The iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history—how one gunshot changed the country forever. In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased. In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth—charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist—murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country's most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices. The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shootout and a series of court-ordered executions—including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt. Featuring some of history's most remarkable figures, vivid detail, and page-turning action, Killing Lincoln is history that reads like a thriller.

by Bill Clinton · Knopf

In Back to Work, Bill Clinton offers a plan to get America out of its economic crisis and "back into the future business." Clinton details how to lay a foundation for long-term prosperity, offering specific recommendations on how to boost employment rates, increase bank lending and corporate investment, and double exports. He emphasises that antigovernment sentiments in the public rarely contribute to a prosperous growth. Conflict between the government and the private sector has given the U.S. a weak economy, growing income inequality, and a decline in its competitive position. Cooperation, he stresses, is more conducive to success than conflict. To Clinton, America “at its core is an idea – the idea that no matter who you are or where you're from, if you work hard and play by the rules, you'll have the freedom and opportunity to pursue your own dreams.” Back to Work is an effort to rejuvenate the idea that is America.

by Chris Matthews · Simon & Schuster

Based on interviews with some of his closest associates, a portrait of the thirty-fifth president discusses his privileged childhood, military service, struggles with a life-threatening disease, and career in politics.

by Condoleezza Rice · Crown

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the former national security advisor and secretary of state comes a “sharp and penetrating . . . reminder that foreign-policy choices facing the United States are complex and difficult, with no easy solutions” (The Washington Post). A native of Birmingham, Alabama, who overcame the racism of the civil rights era to become a brilliant academic and expert on foreign affairs, Condoleezza Rice first distinguished herself as an advisor to George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign, and eventually became one of his closest confidantes. Once he was elected, she served first as his chief advisor on national security issues and later as America’s chief diplomat. From the aftermath of September 11, 2001, when she stood at the center of the administration’s efforts to protect the nation, to her efforts as secretary of state to manage the world’s volatile relationships with North Korea, Iran, and Libya, her service to America led her to confront some of the worst crises the country has ever faced. This is her unflinchingly honest story of that remarkable time, from what really went on behind closed doors when the fates of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Lebanon often hung in the balance and how frighteningly close all-out war loomed in clashes involving Pakistan-India and Russia-Georgia, to her candid appraisal of her colleagues and contemporaries. In No Higher Honor, Condoleezza Rice delivers a master class in statecraft—but always in a way that reveals her essential warmth and humility and her deep reverence for the ideals on which America was founded.

by Laura Hillenbrand · Random House

by Chuck Pfarrer · St. Martin’s Press

The New York Times–bestselling, "engrossing account of the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred). On May 2, 2011, at 1:03 a.m. a satellite uplink crackled from Abbottabad, Pakistan, into the situation room of the White House in Washington, D.C.: "Geronimo, Echo, KIA." These words, spoken by a Navy SEAL, ended Osama bin Laden's three-decade-long career of terror. SEAL Target Geronimo is the story of Bin Laden's relentless hunters and how they took down the terrorist mastermind, told by Chuck Pfarrer, a former commander of SEAL Team Six and author of the bestselling Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL. After talking to members of the SEAL team involved in the raid, Pfarrer shares never-before-revealed of the historic raid and the men who planned and conducted it in an exclusive boots-on-the-ground account of what happened during each minute off the mission—both inside the building and outside. Pfarrer takes readers inside the operations as the SEALs flew over the wall of Bin Laden's shabby, litter-strewn compound and then penetrated deeper and deeper into the terrorist lair, telling us just what it looked, sounded, and smelled like in that sweltering Pakistani suburb. He takes us out to the courtyard to witness the near-disaster of the malfunctioning helicopter and brings us to the exact spot where the Al Qaeda leader was cowing when the bullet entered his head. SEAL Target Geronimo is an explosive story of unparalleled valor, clockwork military precision, and deadly accuracy carried out by the most elite fighting force in the world—the US Navy's SEAL Team Six. Denounced by the Pentagon when it was first published, SEAL Target Geronimo is back in a new edition with added information about the raid, a new afterword, and never-before-seen photos. Praise for SEAL Target Geronimo "The book is more than just a high-adventure black-ops thriller. It is a work of historical importance that sets the record straight." —Neil W. McCabe, Human Events "Pfarrer certainly had access. . . . He clearly had detailed conversations with senior officers in the SEALs' chain of command . . . and understands the vocabulary and culture very well. . . . SEAL Target Geronimo explodes a number of media myths about the riad to kill Bin Laden." —Richard Minter, The Daily Beast

by Joan Didion · Knopf

Summary: Blue Nights opens on July 26, 2010, as Didion thinks back to Quintana's wedding in New York seven years before. Today would be her wedding anniversary. This fact triggers vivid snapshots of Quintana's childhood- in Malibu, in Brentwood, at school in Holmby Hills. Reflecting on her daughter but also on her role as a parent, Didion asks the candid questions any parent might about how she feels she failed either because cues were not taken or perhaps displaced. "How could I have missed what was clearly there to be seen?" Finally, perhaps we all remain unknown to each other. Seamlessly woven in are incidents Didion sees as underscoring her own age, something she finds hard to acknowledge, much less accept. Blue Nights- the long, light evening hours that signal the summer solstice, "the opposite of the dying of the brightness, but also its warning" - like The Year of Magical Thinking before it, is an iconic book of incisive and electric honesty, haunting and profoundly moving.

by Robert K. Massie · Random House

by Michael Lewis · Norton

'A highly enjoyable exercise in financial disaster tourism... politically incorrect, often very funny, and shot through with genuine insight' Robert Harris, The Times In this hilarious, fascinating, timely must-read, Michael Lewis reveals the true natures of the countries caught up in - and exacerbating - our boomerang economies, showing how the financial meltdown hit us all in the face. Right now, Europe is in serious financial chaos. In Greece, infrastructure costs mean it would be cheaper to transport all Greek rail passengers by taxi, and hairdressing is classified as arduous for tax avoidance purposes. In Iceland, Range Rovers frequently explode as owners collect the insurance to pay for them. Ireland saw the entire country put up for sale - to itself, while the Germans expected the whole world to behave like them. But the whole world didn't. 'Chock-full of extraordinary characters, amusing anecdotes and shocking insights' Observer 'A tour de force... All those questions you've half-asked yourself: nowhere else will you find them answered with such incisive wit or terrifying clarity' Mail on Sunday

by Mindy Kaling · Crown Archetype

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this hilarious instant classic, the creator of The Mindy Project and Never Have I Ever invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood. “[Kaling is] like Tina Fey’s cool little sister. Or perhaps . . . the next Nora Ephron.”—The New York Times Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly! With several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? proves that Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka. Praise for Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? “Where have you been all our lives, Mindy?”—Glamour “Who wouldn’t want to hang out with Mindy Kaling? . . . [Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?] is like a mash note to comedy nerds.”—Time Out New York “Very funny.”—Boston Globe

by Tom Brokaw · Random House

Who we are, where we’ve been, and where we need to go now, to recapture the American dream Now with a new Foreword by the author. “The best presentation of the challenges facing the country—and the possible solutions—I've ever seen.”—P. J. O’Rourke Tom Brokaw, known and beloved for his landmark work in American journalism and for the New York Times bestsellers The Greatest Generation and Boom!, now turns his attention to the challenges that face America in the new millennium, to offer reflections on how we can restore America’s greatness. Rooted in the values, lessons, and verities of generations past and of his South Dakota upbringing, Brokaw weaves together inspiring stories of Americans who are making a difference and personal stories from his own family history, to engage us in a conversation about our country and to share ideas for how we can revitalize the promise of the American Dream. Inviting us to foster a rebirth of family, community, and civic engagement as profound as the one that helped win World War II, built our postwar prosperity, and ushered in the Civil Rights era, Brokaw traces the exciting, unnerving changes in modern life—in values, education, public service, housing, the Internet, and more—that have transformed our society in the decades since the age of thrift in which he was raised. In offering ideas from Americans who are change agents in their communities, Brokaw gives us a nourishing vision of hopefulness in an age of diminished expectations. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Inspiring tales of how people from different walks of life have found ways to be of service to their communities and country.”—Walter Isaacson

by Daniel Kahneman · Farrar, Straus & Giroux

One of the most influential books of the 21st century: the ground-breaking psychology classic - over 10 million copies sold - that changed the way we think about thinking 'There have been many good books on human rationality and irrationality, but only one masterpiece. That masterpiece is Thinking, Fast and Slow' Financial Times 'A lifetime's worth of wisdom' Steven D. Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics Why do we make the decisions we do? Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman revolutionised our understanding of human behaviour with Thinking, Fast and Slow. Distilling his life's work, Kahneman showed that there are two ways we make choices: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking. His book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error, bias and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical) and gives practical techniques that enable us all to improve our decision-making. This profound exploration of the marvels and limitations of the human mind has had a lasting impact on how we see ourselves. 'The godfather of behavioural science ... his steely analysis of the human mind and its many flaws remains perhaps the most useful guide to remaining sane and steady' Sunday Times

by Neil MacGregor · Viking Press

Traces the stories of one hundred human innovations to explain their pivotal role in shaping civilization, from weapons and the domestication of cows to currency and music.

by Ellen DeGeneres · Grand Central

SERIOUSLY ... I'M KIDDING is a look at Ellen's life through her humour. Oh, hi. I'm so glad you decided to turn the book over. Inside you will find an assortment of wonderful things - words, pictures, advice, tidbits, morsels, shenanigans, and, in some copies, four hundred dollars cash. So you might want to buy a few. I don't have enough room on this back cover to tell you all the reasons why you should buy this book, but I can tell you this and it's a guarantee: If you buy it, you will feel better, look better, be happier, grow taller, lose weight, get a promotion at work, have shinier hair, and fall madly, deeply in love. As you probably know, this is normally where authors put nice quotes from fancy people praising their book. I'm a little uncomfortable with that. It feels like a gimmick to get people to buy it and I don't believe in cheap tricks like that. Besides, I know you're way too smart and beautiful to fall for that kind of stuff. Actually, I think you're so wonderful I thought I would use this space to praise you. Yes, that's right. You. Here are some of the nice things I have to say about you: 'that is a beautiful blouse you're wearing. It goes so nicely with this book.'Ellen DeGeneres 'I love the way you're holding this book. It's like you were born to buy it and hold it forever.'Ellen DeGeneres 'You know what I love most about you? that we get each other. And also your eyes.'Ellen DeGeneres