Nonfiction Books

Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five schools—especially for girls—that offer a balanced education in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth. As it chronicles Mortenson’s quest, which has brought him into conflict with both enraged Islamists and uncomprehending Americans, Three Cups of Tea combines adventure with a celebration of the humanitarian spirit.

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.<p>In this lively and compelling account of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and <i>Eat, Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.

Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for her—and what didn't.<p>Her conclusions are sometimes surprising—she finds that money can buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference—and they range from the practical to the profound.

Written with charm and wit, The Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining, thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own happiness project.

What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together? <P>In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds--two men, two faiths, two communities--that will inspire readers everywhere.

Albom's first nonfiction book since <i>Tuesdays with Morrie, Have a Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom's old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy. <P>Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he'd left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor--a reformed drug dealer and convict--who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof. <P>Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat. <P>As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Albom and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers, and histories are different, Albom begins to recognize a striking unity between the two worlds--and indeed, between beliefs everywhere. <P>In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor's wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the rabbi's last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Have a Little Faith is a book about a life's purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man's journey, but it is everyone's story.

Ten percent of the profits from this book will go to charity, including The Hole In The Roof Foundation, which helps refurbish places of worship that aid the homeless.

<B><P style="MARGIN: 0px">With the Eighth Edition of the top-selling Human Anatomy & Physiology book, trusted authors Elaine N. Marieb and Katja Hoehn have produced the most accessible, comprehensive, up-to-date, and visually stunning anatomy & physiology book on the market. Marieb draws on her career as an A&P professor and her experience as a part-time nursing student, while Hoehn relies on her medical education and classroom experience to explain concepts and processes in a meaningful and memorable way.

 <P style="MARGIN: 0px">The most significant revision to date, the Eighth Edition makes it easier for readers to learn key concepts in A&P. The new edition features a whole new art program that is not only more visually dynamic and vibrant than in previous editions but is also much more pedagogically effective for today’s readers, including new Focus figures, which guide readers through the toughest concepts in A&P. The book has been edited to make it easier than ever to study from and navigate, with integrated objectives, new concept check questions, and a new design program. The new, easy-to-use Instructor Resource DVD includes brand-new A&P Flix animations and all the tools instructors need to prepare their lecture presentations. The robust media package provides readers with indispensable practice tools, tutorials, and self-assessments to help them succeed in their A&P lecture and lab course.

 The Human Body: An Orientation, Chemistry Comes Alive, Cells: The Living Units, Tissue: The Living Fabric, The Integumentary System, Bones and Skeletal Tissues, The Skeleton, Joints, Muscles and Muscle Tissue, The Muscular System, Fundamentals of the Nervous System and Nervous Tissue, The Central Nervous System,  The Peripheral Nervous System and Reflex Activity, The Autonomic Nervous System, The Special Senses, The Endocrine System,  Blood, The Cardiovascular System: The Heart, The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels, The Lymphatic System and Lymphoid Organs and Tissues, The Immune System: Innate and Adaptive Body Defensives, The Respiratory System, The Digestive System, Nutrition, Metabolism, and Body Temperature Regulation, The Urinary System, Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance, The Reproductive System, Pregnancy and Human Development, Heredity. Intended for those interested in learning the basics of human anatomy & physiology

For this updated and expanded edition, Pink has added dozens of new tools, tips, and exercises to help individuals and organizations sharpen their right-brain capacities. Find out why Thomas L. Friedman, author of the mega-bestseller The World is Flat, calls A Whole New Mind his "favorite business book."