biography

Details the lives of American women who served as doctors and nurses during the Civil War including Dorothea Dix, Dr. Esther Hill Hawks, Clara Barton, Sally Tompkins, and others.

Contains brief profiles of real-life characters from ancient Greece rating them for their cunning, courage, ruthlessness, and survival skills.

Describes the story of Carly Fleischmann, who was diagnosed with autism at age two and predicted to never gain mental capabilities beyond those of a small child. Her father chronicles his efforts to connect with her and reveals the development she has had since age ten, when it was discovered she could use a computer to communicate with others.

Warrick Dunn details his life and experiences and reveals how he managed his college career while caring for his five siblings after the death of their mother. Dunn also outlines his professional football career and many charitable ventures, as well as the events that caused him to seek psychological counseling to combat the demons from his past.

Marie Mutsuki Mockett's family owns a Buddhist temple 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In March 2011, after the earthquake and tsunami, radiation levels prohibited the burial of her Japanese grandfather's bones. As Japan mourned thousands of people lost in the disaster, Mockett also grieved for her American father, who had died unexpectedly. Seeking consolation, Mockett is guided by a colorful cast of Zen priests and ordinary Japanese who perform rituals that disturb, haunt, and finally uplift her. Her journey leads her into the radiation zone in an intricate white hazmat suit; to Eiheiji, a school for Zen Buddhist monks; on a visit to a Crab Lady and Fuzzy-Headed Priest s temple on Mount Doom; and into the "thick dark" of the subterranean labyrinth under Kiyomizu temple, among other twists and turns. From the ecstasy of a cherry blossom festival in the radiation zone to the ghosts inhabiting chopsticks, Mockett writes of both the earthly and the sublime with extraordinary sensitivity. Her unpretentious and engaging voice makes her the kind of companion a reader wants to stay with wherever she goes, even into the heart of grief itself.

Tara Bahrampour describes her feelings and experiences about her bicultural life, discussing her childhood in Iran, her family's participation in the Islamic revolution, their flight to the United States, and her return to Iran as an adult.

In a letter to his daughters, Barack Obama reflects on the traits of thirteen groundbreaking Americans, such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackie Robinson, and George Washington, and shares how children embody them.

The author describes how she and her husband moved from cosmopolitan Paris to rural Provence after their son was born, the beginning of their adventures as culinary entrepreneurs, and their initiation into classic Proven??al cuisine.

Traces the wartime destinies of six individuals against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War in Madrid, among them are Ernest Hemingway, Martha Gellhorn, and Arturo Barea, and makes use of unpublished letters and diaries, official documents, and recovered reels of film.

Contains short illustrated biographies of the royal dynasties of England and Scotland describing the major events of each reign and the royal lineage of each monarch.