Youth Books

I read a lot of memoirs, looking for ideas, maybe, since I've written a few myself. Most of them are written by people around my own age (64) or older. But this one is different. Brandon Schrand isn't even forty yet, but he has written one of the most readable, page-turning memoirs I have run across in the past five years. His story is not always a happy one, coming as he does from a family with a long tradition of being torn by divorces and re-marriages, alcoholism and AA, and occasional explosions of real violence. It is more than just the story of one lonely only-child coming of age in a dead-end town in southeast Idaho. It is also the story of that hard-working and hardscrabble extended family. Raised as much by his grandparents (a step-grandfather), as by his parents (a step-father), Brandon spent much of his childhood watching and waiting for his real father to show up, studying the faces and mannerisms of strangers who drifted in and out of the Enders Hotel, a place where lives often dead-ended that was run by this family in Soda Springs, Idaho. Growing up among two generations of reformed alcoholics is hard enough, but Schrand also watches the slow deterioration (from emphysema) of the health of his beloved step-grandfather, who calls him "the Brat", but loves him unreservedly. His step-father is a rather short-fused electrician who bounces between jobs throughout Idaho and the northwest, but always comes back to the Enders when the jobs run out ... But hey, I'm not gonna tell you the whole story. You gotta read it for yourself. I really liked this kid. In fact I think I was first really sucked into his story when I figured out he's nearly the same age as my younger son, who, like Schrand, was/is a big metal head and a particular fan of Vince Neil and the Crue. (Hey kid, they have a new album!) I gotta get Schrand and my kid together. I'll bet they'd have lots to talk about. Schrand also tells of how there were seven Brandons in his second grade class. Another coincidence: my son's middle name is Brandon, and I've already told him about The Enders Hotel. Lemme put it this way: if you're roughly between the ages of 35 and 40 and only read a few books a year, make sure this is one of them. I guarantee you'll love it! I know I did. This kid can write! - Tim Bazzett, author of the ReedCityBoy trilogy

Growing up in a hotel sounds like a cool and exotic experience, doesn't it? At the very least, it must have offered the chance to meet all kinds of people. And eating all of your meals at a café counter, sitting on an upholstered and spinnable stool, would have been fun, too. Well: maybe. These are the kinds of scenes Brandon Schrand recalls when he thinks back to his childhood. He lets us in on his unique past within the pages of this intriguing memoir.

Schrand's family owned the Enders Hotel in Soda Springs, Idaho, from 1975 to 1992. A three-story brick building with more than 100 rooms, the hotel dates to 1919 and was named for William and Theodore Enders, the German immigrant brothers who built it. Coincidentally, the establishment was also an attraction for "enders" of other sorts: transients, recovering alcoholics, and individuals just plain down on their luck. Schrand's relatives -- a complex combination of personalities as a result of multi-generational divorces -- accommodated pretty much all of them, when they weren't on the move or in recovery themselves. "It seems fitting, inevitable perhaps," he writes, "that we eventually bought a hotel, a place outfitted with so many exits and entrances, and a place that seemed itself a beacon to the far-farers, to people, ultimately, like us." (p. 203) At the same time, Brandon was growing up. An only child with a vivid imagination and a clubhouse that he eventually shared with friends and classmates, Brandon spent his so-called "formative years" doing odd jobs around the building, alternatively interacting or deliberately ignoring the guests (as per his parents' orders), and exploring the natural areas around the hotel. Complete with a geyser that erupted every hour on the hour, Soda Springs was a company town, a tourist destination, and a temporary way station for many a passer-by. For Brandon, it was Home.

The novelties are what make for interesting reading here. Soda Springs. An unusual family situation. Living in and operating a hotel with a bar and a restaurant. Most of us don't come from similar situations. And yet: growing up is in itself a common experience and one that we can all relate to, no matter the location. And though we may be singularly place-oriented when we are children, it is only when we become adults and look back over the years that we realize that the individuals who surrounded us at the time made the difference, all along. As much as we loved special buildings or certain towns, it was the people who made those places remarkable for us. That can be a hard lesson to learn; harder still, to accept.

Writing such a book is a risky business, since it reveals so much of oneself and one's family. (How did Brandon remember all of these boyhood incidents???) This is the kind of memoir that prompts you to write your own. It's easy to see why it's an award winner.

As someone who grew up in Southern Idaho and had heard of the Enders Hotel, I was happy to come across this book. I don't know what I was expecting but it turned out to be a book I could not put down. It is beautifully written and Schrand does a fantastic job of describing each character who crossed the doorstep of the hotel in all those years. It is a wonderful book that I would highly recommend. I would like to see it as a movie someday!

I am a student of Brandon's at the University of Idaho and after the essays of Brandon's that I'd already seen, I expected A LOT out of this book. Not surprisingly, I got it, and more. I am making my way through The Ender's Hotel with nothing short of satisfaction... it is a beautifully written and interestingly told story that rings true all throughout.

I became aware of this book through an article Hemingway wrote about books he would like to read twice. Well I can say that this book is best read in the winter, for it will melt the snow in puddles around your shoe, and warm your heart and soul at the same time. So make haste and buy it now, while the cold winds still blow.

The Argentine pampas was a land of freedom and excitement: one literary figurehead W.H. Hudson describes in his memoir FAR AWAY & LONG AGO: A CHILDHOOD IN ARGENTINA. Descriptions of natural history and wildlife abound - and also of politics and interpersonal relationships of the times. You'd think FAR AWAY & LONG AGO would give insights into Hudson's childhood and life - and it does - but more importantly it recreates the history, culture and geography of Argentina in a way few travel books accomplish.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

As we continue to pave over the beauties of our world and turn them into concrete wastelands, it is good to think back what life was like 150 years ago before we began the process of destruction in earnest.

W. H. Hudson, the naturalist, is revered in Argentina, where they refer to him as Guillermo Enrique Hudson and name streets and towns after him. In simple and stately prose, he writes about his boyhood as one of several sons in an English family that ran an estancia on the Pampas. Despite several failed attempts to school him, he managed to pick up one of the best educations available: by using his eyes and ears to study nature. His skill in language, which is considerable, came from reading his father's books on his own.

Whether writing about ombu trees, plovers, snakes, lightning storms, rheas (Argentinian ostriches), or his neighboring ranchers, Hudson brought a whole world to life with this book.

Hudson published FAR AWAY AND LONG AGO in 1917 while he was living in England -- around the same time that a Frenchman named Marcel Proust was following where that elusive taste of madeleines led him in REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, and around the same time that World War I was destroying a whole way of life. As he writes in the book:

"It is difficult, impossible I am told, for any one to recall his boyhood exactly as it was. It could not have been what it seems to the adult mind, since we cannot escape from what we are, however great our detachment may be; and in going back we must take our present selves with us: the mind has taken a different colour, and this is thrown back upon our past. The poet has reversed the order of things when he tells us that we come trailing clouds of glory, which melt away and are lost as we proceed on our journey. The truth is that unless we belong to the order of those who crystallize or lose their souls on their passage, the clouds gather about us as we proceed, and as cloud-compellers we travel on to the very end."

FAR AWAY AND LONG AGO is perhaps one of the greatest autobiographies ever written. Although I finished reading it several days ago, I am still feeling its afterglow and get this itch to re-read passages from it. This is, indeed, a book that will withstand several readings.

I could never make it through Hudson's fantasy __Green Mansions__, but __Far Away and Long Ago__ is another book altogether. Written when Hudson was approaching eighty, more than forty years after he had left Argentina for good, it's filled with the kind of longing you might expect. And even though he's a witness to the mid-nineteenth civil wars in Argentina or, more incredibly still, listens to travelers reciting poems by the eighteenth-century Spaniard Menéndez Valdés, Hudson seems modern; he makes other times, other places, far away and long ago, as he calls them, seem incredibly near.

Hudson's excellent short story "El Ombú" is also well worth seeking out. And, finally, while it's true Hudson left Argentina for England, the US also has some claim to him; it was from New England, after all, that, shortly before his birth, his American family left for Argentina. Just thought I'd make that clear, since people are always calling him "Anglo-Argentine".

So useful for boys who have no father figure in their lives. Almost a guide to identify willing candidates and make sure you have that vital male role model in your life! Even though I have a real, live father, (thanks Dad!) this still tugged at my heartstrings no end, especially the initial scenes when Sweeney's father is dying and he describes his sister's grief about not kissing him goodbye on the fateful day - incredible.

This account of a young man's search for someone to teach him the lessons and values that his dead father could not is a beautifully written, thoughtful book. His style of writing is straightforward and candid, as the struggles of his large, financially-strapped family are detailed. Especially well-drawn are the three men he chooses as father figures, and his strong yet vulnerable mother. It would make a good book to give to a man who may have served this function in your life, or someone in need of a father figure.

Following the devastation of September 11, 2001, the author of the remarkable new memoir, "Father Figures," wrote an online essay to remind Americans of one of the grim realities of that day: the thousands of children who were suddenly left without a parent, and what others could do to help these kids as they made their way from grief to growing up. The response felt by many to that first essay led to the writing of "Father Figures."

Kevin Sweeney knows an unfair amount about this sad subect. His own father passed away when he was three, leaving a loving but now nearly destitute mother to raise six children alone.

The Sweeneys, without a father, husband, provider, faced a grim challenge, but the young boy named Kevin was determined to work his way through the loss.

Each child who loses a parent must inevitably come to terms in his own way, but Sweeney, by some quirky inspiration that only an innocent youth could summon, came up with a novel solution. He would adopt a father; in fact, three. Secretly. Without their knowing it.

His plan was simple: without a father of his own to guide him, he knew something was missing, so to fill in the chasm he would select the best, the wisest men in his small world, watch them, learn from them, but never tell. And bask in their glow when he was brought into their gentle orbits.

His powers of observation as a child serve him well as an adult. Sweeney has rendered wonderfully a world that is so quaintly American, so hopeful, that one wishes to step back into it, if only for a sweet neighborhood picnic, or a summer pick-up baseball game with the kids. A time when an entire suburban block came out to cheer the neighbor girls on their way to the prom. That was all in the outdoor world of youth. Inside was a different story.

They were tough times growing up, and Sweeney brings alive an almost Dickensian tale of the private sacrifices his family endured for years after his father died. Nor does he pull punches when, growing up, he begins to discover some of the flaws of hiw own beloved dad. Refreshingly, Sweeney tells this story without a hint of bitterness. The optimism of a boy who is determined to survive and flourish is alive and well in the grown-up who set out to record his past.

Sweeney has done a remarkable job in showing us how a child navigates, poorly at times, the shifting tides of growing up, the yearnings and fears and disappointments. But also the joys and thrills of the little victories, like learning to hit a curve ball. He is funny, honest and blunt and does not spare even himself from his critical eye, not even when it comes to reliving those inexorably dumb decisions adolescent boys seem driven to make.

Above all, he is a gracious and grateful memoirist, and that spirit rubs off on his readers. He is grateful for these three remarkable men and how they, chosen secretly by a bright, fatherless boy, helped him steer his way. It is a wonderful tribute to them, surrogate fathers who deserve a pat on the back from all of us who read Sweeney's memoir.

Kevin Sweeney has created a whole world in Father Figures, giving us not only a strong portrait of what it is like to grow up without a father, but also of a modern Catholic childhood. His writing and insights are strong and often simply beautiful. He's a wonderful story teller and will keep any reader turning pages long into the night.

The teen years are some of the more stressful of people's lives - high school, hormones ranging, preparing for the future. Now in a fully revised and informatively updated new edition, "Fighting Invisible Tigers: Stress Management for Teens" is a guide book for teenagers who need to reduce the stress in their hectic lives. "Fighting Invisible Tigers" outlines ten techniques that will assist teens in their desire to control their stress, such as breathing and relaxation exercises, time management, dealing with hostile peers/family/friends, and embracing an optimistic outlook. A top pick for community library parenting collections.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This enjoyable, easy-read offers proven, practical advice to adolescents interested in acquiring stress and life management skills. Adults working with teens will find this book a valuable resource for helping adolescents understand what happens when they are stressed to the limits of their coping ability. The section "Self-Care for Tiger Bites" offers immediate first aid for those times when fast relief is needed to relieve overwhelming levels of stress. Using this book, teenagers and adults alike can crack the whip and tame the stress within.

Anxious and troubled and confused teens (most of the teen populations) will carry this portable guide to survival for several days and come away reassured that they are not alone, and come away with useful skills to make life better and easier. Even the teen readers like it!!

I find this book, despite its small size & simple layout, to be an excellent guide/resource for teens.

The analogy is interesting. When life is very stressful, it can feel as if you're in a jungle with lots of dangerous tigers --ferocious, hungry, invisible tigers, quietly stalking you.

It covers everything from being assertive to building relationships, taking risks, making decisions, staying healthy, dealing with fears, using positive self-talk, & even growing a funny bone. There is also a "Self-Care for Tiger Bites" section which offers ready "first aid" for teens who need quick relief.

Parents &/or educators who are also interested in this book, are advised to get hold of the Leader's Guide. It is designed to support & enhance the messages of the Student Book with a step-by-step curriculum in a dozen of easy-to-use sessions. It comes with two dozens of reproducible handout masters.

Kudos to the authors for these two excellent guides/resources!

I would strongly recommend readers to check out the publisher's website. They have an extensive repertoire of excellent guides/resources for kids, teens, parents as well as educators.

I love Zubro's writing style: fierce, real, absorbing. His books are refreshing and full of life. Does anyone know how to get in conact with him?

One of the best things about summer is the anticipation of another of Mark Richard Zubro's fine novels of realistic gay living in Chicago, my favorite city on the planet---for bunches of reasons. In fact, I'm proud to have collected first editions of all of his works.

Zubro writes a double series of works, both different and satisfying: one is based on the team of Tom Mason (high school English teacher and all-around solid good-guy--so good, in fact, that the Chicago PD basically leaves him alone in his investigations) and his lover, the out-and-proud two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, Scott Carpenter; the other series is strictly blue-collar and completely absorbing, featuring Chicago Police Detective Paul Turner (a gay father of two sons) and his lover, extremely butch automechanic Ben.

Zubro's strengths as a writer include believable characters, a strong sense of

In this landmark 10TH mystery in the "Tom & Scott Mystery" series, we join high school teacher Tom Mason, as he arrives early one Saturday morning to do some volunteer work at the local gay/lesbian teen counseling center. He decides to catch up on some filing in the office he shares, and opens a file cabinet drawer, finding a severed head. Being no stranger to having the misfortune to stumble upon a murder, Tom tries to work with the police to find the killer. The problem is that the victim was the unusually unpleasant and nasty manager of the center, and there is no shortage of people who were glad to see the end of the man referred to - by employees and volunteers alike - as "Snarly Bitch". Various pieces of circumstantial evidence seem to point to just about everyone, including Tom himself.

The number one suspect seems to be Lee Weaver, a young man working as a counselor who Tom first met as a gay teen who came to him for help while in school. Tom believes Lee is innocent, but evidence surfaces that suggests he may not have told him (or the police) the entire truth about his activities the night of the murder.

As usual, this Zubro mystery has a "message within the story" and this time it is a sobering commentary about the counterproductive politics and internal machinations of the gay teen counseling center and other factions within the gay community. Tom was aware of the staff and voluntter strife, and some grandstanding and feather-ruffling going on with its Board of Directors, but talking with most of the kids who go to the counseling center makes him aware of what huge impact this has had on them over the years.

Tom's baseball-player partner, Scott, is mostly absent (on the road with his team) during this installment in the series, which makes it different from most. Like the others, it is well-written and holds the reader's attention throughout. Perhaps partially because I previously volunteered for an organization similar to the one featured in the story, I was especially riveted to this story, which had an ending that took me completely by surprise.

Although he likes being a high school teacher and interacting with the students as a gay man Tom Mason feels the need to work with gay teens, who need an adult's help to guide them through their various trials and crises. He volunteers at the Oscar Wilde Gay Youth services advising the teens who are suicidal, afraid to come out, and how to deal with their parents. There's a lot of backbiting and infighting between the staff and the head of the clinic Charlie Fitch, the executive director.

Tom tries to stay away from the politics of the situation but when he opens his file cabinet and finds Charlie's severed head, he becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. Eventually, the police arrest counselor Lee Weaver because his fingerprints are on the murder weapon (an axe) and had a motive as Charlie fired him the night of the murder. Tom counseled Lee when he was teen and he does not believe Lee is the killer. He intends to prove it since he has access to the people involved but before he can find Charlie's killer he finds two more murder victims.

Mark Richard Zubro has written an exciting amateur sleuth novel but FILE UNDER DEAD is so much more than that. It is a story about teens who do not know how to go against the norm in turns of their sexuality and the counselors who talk the more troubled ones out of considering suicide, and help them accept the consequences if their parents find out and can't cope with the truth. This fine mystery has heart giving readers an insider's view of the problems facing gay teens.

Harriet Klausner

We all need to walk before we can run -- and in "First Words," some of the world's greatest literary sprinters take their first fumbling steps. They stretch their muscles, get their balance, totter and then take off -- and what strides they finally make!

Rounding up these first words, Editor Paul Mandelbaum has performed an invaluable and remarkable feat of literary excavation. Who knew this stuff even existed? For anyone who loves to read, or loves to write, "First Words" is revealing, inspiring and - believe it or not - just plain fun.

I found this book to be a fascinating voyage into the early minds of great writers. It was amazing to see little bits of genious and partially formed brilliance mingled with the half-baked ideas of the novice. If you are are a fan of any of these authors you will delight in this trip back to their first baby steps towards greatness.

Cover-to-cover excellence. If you have favorites among the 22 contemporary authors represented in this anthology, you will enjoy reading samples of their childhood writings. Young Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Rita Dove, Maxine Hong Kingston and the other authors demonstrate precocity, maturity, and a firm grasp of story structure and plot development.

Marginal notes can be intrusive, but I found myself looking forward to editor Paul Mandelbaum's illuminating comments about each writer's life and work. The information deepened my understanding of the writer's body of work. This is a wonderful book to own and a great gift idea.

FIRST WORDS was an expected find which has become a favorite gift. It allows the reader to turn back time and see the beginnings of a future writer. For aspiring writers it is both an education and an inspiration to see early stages of becoming a writer. For teachers it is an invaluable tool. 1-It demonstrates to the compulsively driven perfectionists in our classrooms that even those now famous had their own grammar, spelling, and revision demons to conquer. 2-It provides a cautionary tale, that none of us wants to be the teacher whose careless, quick negatives took years for a young writer to overcome. 3-It reminds us that lurking in classrooms all around this country are young children and young adults who will become the leading authors of tomorrow. It challenges us to do our best to help them along that path. I have giiven this to 12 other people so far, and many of them have gone on to buy it as gifts for colleagues, students, and friends. The idea is genius in its simplicity. The contributors and editors have made its reality a delight!

New Day has a series of eight little action and rhyme books. This one is perfectly suited for a little children's Christmas play. The kids love the action and the repetitive and rhyming nature of the book makes memorization easy. The kids love it.

My three year old granddaughter gives it the thumbs up!

This is another favorite story from Bible in action rhyme. Stephanie Jeffs teams up with illustrator Chris Saunderson in this memorable story of the three wise men from the East, the Star of Bethlehem, and the giving of gifts to the Baby King, Jesus. The brilliant color illustrations, the action movements pictured and the simple narrative all combine to make this a delightful story for the Christmas season.

The search begins with the star, the vision of a new king, traveling from afar, and the discovery of the baby king. As the wise men worship the new found king they bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

"Follow the star with the Wise Men" is a good choice for the advent season. The story can be read by early readers themselves, dramatized, included in family time celebrations, or for bed time reading. A delightful reminder of the message of Christmas.
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake, a Christian Education Consultant

Action and adventures await the reader. The entire series are fun for kids. It is something kids and their parents can do together.

I love this series, Action Rhyme Books, from New Day Publishing. Each part of the Nativity story is accompanied by an action for toddlers through 1st graders to act out - "Point point" to the Star - "Search search" for the King. This could even be the script for a Christmas play; parents might even want a copy for themselves!

This novel steps back to the begining of last century and presents a message to readers that spans over the ages."Fortress of the Heart: the Story of Anna" is a non-fiction novel that embraces the incredible journey of Anna Buchanan Coleman with such insight and clarity that the reader is sure to recognize her in a strong woman they know personally.
Coleman-Wells reached with both hands into the colorful tapestry that her mother, Anna, called life. As a result Ms. Wells constructed a masterpiece. This book could have gone several directions as far as theme. Anna Buchanan's life was chocked full of gender discrimination, racism, colorism,abuse, economic disadvantages, struggle for higher education being a minority....the list goes on.
Instead of focusing on negative circumstances that Anna endured, Shirley Coleman Wells plucked the gold thread of her mothers life to immortalize in this book as Anna's legacy...simply love. Out of bitter tears, lonliness, hurt,and abandonment sprang love that was well appreciated by Anna, like a cooling rain after a drought.
This novel, although heart wrenching and tear jerking at several points, celebrates life. The proverbial "calm after the storm" is personified in the life of Anna as a result of her strength, faith,resolution and service to others. "Fortress of the Heart" could have spanned several categories including drama, suspense, horror, romance and educatonal. But undoubtedly, after the last page is read, the reader will surely agree there is only one category that does this book justice........as a classic.

An inspirational story of how the hate of prejudice was overcome by the love of friendship. A most enlightening, thought provoking book, that touches the heart and soul. This is a must read for adults and children alike.

What a story! What heartache she went through and what trials and tribulations to have to endure as a child. Every chapter keeps you crying with her or laughing with her or yelling horray for you Anna. Everyone should read this book to find out what life can really be like with stupid prejudices and then find out how life can be without them. Should be required reading in the schools.

When I started this book, I did not know quite what to expect. Then when I couldn't put it down for four hours, I wanted more and more. It is so amazing that during the time frame of years this book was written that there was "reverse" discrimination against this woman's mother. Look at what that woman had to endure - seeing her mother run so her father wouldn't shoot her because she was white. Ms. Wells did an incredible job of taking us from the turmoil and heartache through the life of this wonderful woman, Anna. Every page is so beautifully written and so incredibly believable. Please, Please, tell us there is another of her books out there somewhere. She is a master and deserves the highest applause for this incredible piece of literature. This should be in all the libraries and in our schools. I will read this book over and over again, and I'm sure I will cry over and over again and laugh and applaud over and over again as I did the first time I read it. Thank you, Ms. Wells, for this beautiful story. This proves that true life is better than fiction. God Bless You.

Methuselah? Faggetaboutit ...if you want the secret to longevity, read this book. Kotulak proves once again why he is worthy of the Pulitzer. The style and pace of this book not only make it one of the best scientific reads of the past decade, the language also simplifies the science without stripping away its essence. I highly recommend "The Garden of Eden Molecule".

In this so-called "Age of the Human Genome," we are constantly bombarded by news that genetics, not environment, is the final arbiter in determining how sick we all will end up sooner or later. Fortunately, there are a few good science writers who are helping to set the record straight in this continuing nature-nurture debate. Ronald Kotulak is one such writer, whose book "The Garden of Eden Molecule" provides a timely wake-up call to aging baby-boomers who might otherwise succumb to genetic fatalism. His clear descriptions of what goes on inside our bodies as we grow older -- and, more importantly, his compelling arguments of what lifestyle changes we need to make in order to stay healthy as we age -- make this book a must read for anyone who cares about making the most of life.

From great writers come great insights and captivating books. Ron Kotulak has done it again with "The Garden of Eden Molecule."

At a time when new genetics books are popping up almost daily heralding the power of our genes in controlling all aspects of our lives, this Pulitzer Prize winner brings new clarity and rationality to the national dialogue how we age.

Despite the gene-of-the-day public relation blitzes reported as news in the media promising to do this or that (but never being held accountable), here is an on-target book that looks beyond the tempting (and marketable) genetic basis of aging.

There are more things about people than the sum total of their genes. Kotulak writes: ..."the more we know about how and why we age, the more we can control our fate. We have far more to say about how long we live than do our genes."

A beautifully constructed and excellently written book that I will read again. And certainly one of the best books you'll find anywhere on how people age.

Hats of to the author, and may more books follow.

At last, the inside scoop on what it takes to live longer, healthier lives. This book is short and to-the-point, and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Ronald Kotulak has the knack of making the most complicated concepts as easy to follow as a recipe for apple pie. What's unique about The Garden of Eden Molecule is it's not just another opinion from a self-proclaimed "expert" with an idea that might (or might not) prolong our lives. Kotulak goes to the real experts - the doctors and scientists who are too busy to write best sellers; they're hard at work learning what makes us tick -- and why some people go on ticking for 80, 90, or 100 years and longer. This is the report from the front lines of science: What we know, what we don't know, what works and why. There are no "quick fixes" here, but if you have common sense, Kotulak's user-friendly writing makes clear what we need to do to live better and live longer. Sure, we all know "free radicals" are bad, and we should get plenty of antioxidants. But how many of us take this advice seriously? Who knows why these things are so important? What do the experts say about how we can prevent or cure cancer, heart disease, diabetes or Alzheimer's? This book gives you the knowledge of the world's top researchers, plus practical advice based on what's scientifically proven to prolong life. Dianne Helkenn, Senior Science Writer, Public Communications Inc.

Girls in America is a revealing, eyes-wide-open look at the secret world of young girls today. The girls interviewed in this book are direct and open about what's behind their thoughts and actions. They reflect on the messages they get from their parents, peers, and the American culture, then with great inner strength and wisdom, tell us how they cope and prevail. Every girl... each teenage mother, young athlete and beauty contestant ... has something worthwhile to share with us and teach us. This book is powerful, insightful and inspiring!

What a great book! I am a mother of two young girls and find it exteremely helpful to understand what teenagers are thinking about. Carol Cassidy's book is a must for anyone who is concerned about what goes on beyond your home and what your daughters needs are. We, mothers, love to give advice--but this is an advice for us from our girls.

The stories and words of beauty queens, swimmers, cheerleaders and teen moms alike are gathered in an involving collection which will appeal to middle school ages on up. Cassidy traveled across the country gathering the words and stories of American girls ages 14-19: their stories present a diverse cross-section of teen experience.

This is a very important book. A must read for anyone who cares about what is happening with young American women today.