Hales, Dianne R.

No face has ever captivated so many for so long. Every year more than nine million visitors trek to her portrait in the Louvre. Yet while everyone recognizes her smile, hardly anyone knows her story. This book rests on the premise that the woman in the Mona Lisa is indeed the person identified in its earliest description: Lisa Gherardini (1479-1542), wife of the Florence merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Descended from ancient nobles, she gave birth to six children and died at age sixty-three. Her life spanned the most tumultuous chapters in the history of Florence, decades of war, rebellion, invasion, siege, and conquest--and of the greatest artistic outpouring the world has ever seen. Her story creates an extraordinary tapestry of Renaissance Florence, inhabited by larger-than-legend figures such as Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli.

Examines drug and alcohol abuse through the eyes of alcoholics and addicts.

Explores the role of the family in society, different types of families, and what constitutes a family in modern and traditional society.

Explores some causes of depression, ways to overcome this illness, and where and when to seek help.

Examines pregnancy and childbirth, from the beginning of a new life to changes in the family after delivery.

The author discusses her decades-long quest to learn and truly inhabit the Italian language, and provides information about the history, food, and culture of Italy, a country she has come to love.

Examines pregnancy and childbirth, from the beginning of a new life to changes in the family after delivery.