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Mis años con los Yankees
by Joe Torre Tom VerducciLa historia definitiva de una de las grandes dinastías en la historia del béisbol, los New York Yankees de Joe Torre Cuando Joe Torre tomó posesión como manager de los Yankees en 1996, no habían ganado una Serie Mundial en dieciocho años. Durante ese tiempo, diecisiete managers habían intentado hacerse con las riendas del equipo de béisbol más famoso de América. Todos fueron despedidos por George Steinbrenner, el dueño del equipo. Después de doce exitosas temporadas --con doce apariciones consecutivas en los playoffs, seis títulos de la Liga Americana y cuatro Series Mundiales-- Torre dejó los Yankees como el más querido manager del béisbol. Su mayor cualidad fue saber tratar a jugadores como Alex Rodríguez, Mariano Rivera, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens o Randy Johnson. Aquí, por primera vez, Joe Torre y Tom Verducci llevan a los lectores dentro de los propios Yankees, mostrando lo que de verdad hizo falta para mantener al equipo en lo más alto del béisbol mundial.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Mis confusiones: Memorias desmemoriadas (Biblioteca Rius #Volumen)
by RiusLa biografía definitiva de Rius, escrita por él mismo.Un texto imprescindible para los lectores del creador de Los Agachados, Mis Supermachos y más de un centenar de libros publicados la mayoría en esta casa editorial a partir de éste 2014 la biblioteca disponible en digital.Rius cumple 80 años de edad -60 como caricaturista- y publicará su último y muy esperado libro Mis confusiones, se titula así, como una parodia a Mis confesiones de San Agustín.
Mis mundiales: Del gol de Zarra al triunfo de la Roja
by Inocencio F. AriasEl apasionante recorrido de la Copa del Mundo, desde 1950 hasta la actualidad, contado con rigor y sentido del humor por Inocencio F. Arias. Un viaje personal cuajado de información deportiva y anécdotas mezcladas con el contexto histórico y diplomático en el que se celebró cada mundial. Desde el mítico gol de Zarra en el estadio de Maracaná hasta el Iniestazo que proclamó a la Roja campeona del mundo por primera vez, pasando por la maldición de cuartos, el fiasco del 82, la mano de Dios o el cabezazo de Zidane, todo aficionado al fútbol disfrutará con la narración de un testigo de excepción y forofo incondicional del deporte rey. Inocencio F. Arias viaja por cada uno de los mundiales que vivió para hablar también de su propia historia, de cómo el fútbol marcó el devenir de España desde la dictadura hasta la democracia, y de cómo ese fenómeno deportivo ha afectado a la economía y a la sociedad internacionales. Un libro que demuestra que la historia del fútbol es también la historia de nuestro tiempo.
Mis pedazos rotos: Sanando las heridas del abuso sexual a través de la fé, la familia y el amor
by Rosie RiveraPor ser la más pequeña de los Rivera, Rosie estuvo rodeada de amor incondicional, apoyo y afecto, y no había nada que su familia no habría hecho por ella, en particular su hermana Jenni, quien, para Rosie, era lo más importante en el mundo. Con una fuerte voluntad y principios sólidos, Rosie estaba lista para conquistar el mundo. Sin embargo, su vida daría un vuelco drástico cuando Rosie fue marcada por el abuso sexual del que fue objeto dentro de su familia a una muy temprana edad. Viviendo con miedo y oprimida por secretos dolorosos, estuvo agobiada por amenazas constantes, confusión y dolor. No sólo le fue arrebatada su infancia, sino también su confianza y su autoestima. Sintiéndose completamente hecha pedazos y perdida, Rosie se hundió en un mundo de hábitos destructivos y en una profunda depresión.Por primera vez y con inquebrantable franqueza y valentía, Rosie comparte los traumáticos detalles de los abusos que sufrió, de su lucha diaria para salir adelante y de cómo gracias al cariño de su familia encontró, una vez más, el amor. Pero aún así, poco después la vida de Rosie sería duramente impactada otra vez cuando fue sacudida por la peor tragedia que podría haber imaginado y su más mayor miedo se hizo realidad: la muerte de su amada hermana.En la misma medida desgarradora y edificante, la historia de Rosie constituye un testimonio verídico sobre la superación de la adversidad y una muestra de que a pesar de vivir los peores momentos posibles y sin importar cuántos retos se presenten en la vida, es siempre posible sobreponerse a las desgracias y encontrar la fuerza y la voluntad necesarias para soñar y vivir nuevamente. CON FOTOGRAFÍASPrólogo de Mryka Dellanos.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Mis rincones oscuros
by James EllroyLas desgarradoras memorias de la investigación de Ellroy sobre el asesinato de su madre. Mis rincones oscuros es el libro más intimista y el reflejo más oscuro del pasado del autor y de una experiencia que marcaría toda su obra. En junio de 1958, James Ellroy tenía diez años cuando recibió la terrible noticia del asesinato de su madre. El cadáver de Geneva Hilliker fue hallado cubierto de hiedra en una cuneta de las afueras de Los Ángeles, estrangulado con una cuerda y unas medias de nylon y con signos evidentes de violación. El caso no se resolvió, pero la brutal muerte marcó para siempre la vida del autor y fue el germen de toda su obra. En 1994, después de publicar el último volumen del «Cuarteto de los Ángeles», Ellroy decidió descubrir la verdad sobre el crimen. Para ello contrató los servicios de un veterano y experimentado «detective» llamado Bill Stoner. A medida que ambos avanzaban en este caso enterrado desde hacía treinta años, Ellroy descubría el misterio que en realidad fue su madre, cuáles fueron sus aspiraciones y por qué decidió salir de un pequeño pueblo de Wisconsin para empezar una nueva vida en Los Ángeles. Mis rincones oscuros relata esta investigación, en una mezcla de crónica negra y memorias confesionales, y se convierte en un libro fascinante que proporciona las claves autobiográficas de sus novelas y, a su vez, en la introducción perfecta a la perturbadora obra de este autor imprescindible de la novela del siglo XX. Críticas:«Un círculo obsesivo que se tensa hasta formar un nudo... amargo, retorcido, introspectivo.»New York Magazine «Una lectura para estómagos y mentes fuertes. No hay ninguna concesión al sentimentalismo. [...] [Ellroy] ha vuelto a elevar la novela negra [...] a la categoría que adquirió conDashiellHammett, Raymond Chandler y los que inauguraron el género hacia 1930.»Mariano Antolín Rato, El Mundo «Extraña y perversamente fascinante. Mitad thriller, mitad grito de dolor. [...] Una crónica sincera sobre el hecho de crecer sintiéndose un extraño, bajo la condena del dolinexpresado.»Newsday «Mis rincones oscuros rompe con las fronteras entre géneros, dando como resultado un clásico singular.»Newsweek
Misadventure in the Middle East
by Henry HemmingExperience the beautifully written tale of a hapless young artist, a beat-up pick-up called Yasmine, and an extraordinary journey across the world. Misadventure in the Middle East: Travels as Tramp, Artist and Spy by Henry Hemming creates a portrait of the post-9/11 Middle East that transports the reader into the human heart of the region. When Henry Hemming sets out in his pick-up truck to make a portrait of the Middle East, he has no idea what he will find or how he will live. Using art as his passport, he spends a year traveling throughout the area; his extraordinary journey finds him accused of being both an Islamic extremist and a British spy, dancing in a dervish hideaway and attending a Fourth of July party with GIs in Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace. As the young people he meets along the way share their dreams and doubts, Hemming discovers an unpredictable Middle East that is in no way accurately represented by the nightly news. And as the invasion of Iraq intensifies, he realizes that in order to finish his portrait, he must go to Baghdad to find a fabled artistic renaissance-a trip that could cost him his life.
Misadventures in Archaeology: The Life and Career of Charles Conrad Abbott
by Carolyn D. Dillian Charles A. BelloA comprehensive portrait of the controversial self-taught archaeologist C. C. Abbott.In the late nineteenth century, Charles Conrad Abbott, a medical doctor and self-taught archaeologist, gained notoriety for his theories on early humans. He believed in an American Paleolithic, represented by an early Ice Age occupation of the New World that paralleled that of Europe, a popular scientific topic at the time. He attempted to prove that the Trenton gravels—glacial outwash deposits near the Delaware River—contained evidence of an early, primitive population that pre-dated Native Americans. His theories were ultimately overturned in acrimonious public debate with government scientists, most notably William Henry Holmes of the Smithsonian Institution. His experience—and the rise and fall of his scientific reputation—paralleled a major shift in the field toward an increasing professionalization of archaeology (and science as a whole).This is the first biography of Charles Conrad Abbott to address his archaeological research beyond the Paleolithic debate, including his early attempts at historical archaeology on Burlington Island in the Delaware River, and prehistoric Middle Woodland collections made throughout his lifetime at Three Beeches in New Jersey, now the Abbott Farm National Historic Landmark. It also delves into his modestly successful career as a nature writer. As an archaeologist, he held a position with the Peabody Museum at Harvard University and was the first curator of the American Section at the Penn Museum. He also attempted to create a museum of American archaeology at Princeton University. Through various sources including archival letters and diaries, this book provides the most complete picture of the quirky and curmudgeonly, C. C. Abbott.
Misadventures of a Big Mouth Brit
by Piers MorganPiers has got a new job. He's off to America to be the 'Nasty Brit' judging the show America's Got Talent - surely a role he was made for? And with unprecedented access to people, places and parties on both sides of the pond, he'll get the inside scoop on the world of celebrity Stateside. So what could possibly go wrong?Well, it's not all plain sailing. Piers finds himself snubbed by the paparazzi and subjected to national ridicule by Alan Sugar. As well as foolishly embarking on a visit to the Playboy Mansion with his girlfriend he also becomes one of the only people to fall off the 'idiot-proof' Segway (George Bush fell off one too).Somehow though, Piers still manages to get invited to all the best parties. Perhaps because he keeps being mistaken for David Cameron? From chinwags with Naomi Campbell to a cigar-smoking session with Arnold Schwarzenegger; hilarious tête-à-têtes with everyone from Boris Johnson to Cheryl Cole; and many bizarre encounters with the likes of Paris Hilton, Tony Blair and Jay-Z, Piers is his usual candid, honest, loudmouth self as he lifts the lid on Tinsel Town.With the background cries of 'Please don't embarrass us Dad!' from his sons, the Big Mouth Brit embarks on his hilarious American adventure, and suffers just a few mishaps along the way.
Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi: My Humble Quest to Heal My Colitis, Calm My ADD, and Find the Key to Happiness
by Brian LeafAs a college freshman business major suffering from a variety of anxiety-related maladies, Brian Leaf stumbled into an elective: yoga. It was 1989. All his classmates were female. And men did not yet generally “cry, hug, or do yoga.” But yoga soothed and calmed Leaf as nothing else had. As his hilarious and wise tale shows, Leaf embarked on a quest for health and happiness — visiting yoga studios around the country and consulting Ayurvedic physicians, swamis, and even (accidentally) a prostitute. Twenty-one years later, he teaches yoga and meditation and is the beloved founder of a holistic tutoring center that helps students whose ailments he once shared.
Misalliance
by Edward MillerIn the annals of Vietnam War history, no figure has been more controversial than Ngo Dinh Diem. During the 1950s, U. S. leaders hailed Diem as “the miracle man of Southeast Asia” and funneled huge amounts of aid to his South Vietnamese government. But in 1963 Diem was ousted and assassinated in a coup endorsed by President John F. Kennedy. Diem’s alliance with Washington has long been seen as a Cold War relationship gone bad, undone either by American arrogance or by Diem’s stubbornness. In Misalliance, Edward Miller provides a convincing new explanation for Diem’s downfall and the larger tragedy of South Vietnam. For Diem and U. S. leaders, Miller argues, the alliance was more than just a joint effort to contain communism. It was also a means for each side to pursue its plans for nation building in South Vietnam. Miller’s definitive portrait of Diem-based on extensive research in Vietnamese, French, and American archives-demonstrates that the South Vietnamese leader was neither Washington’s pawn nor a tradition-bound mandarin. Rather, he was a shrewd and ruthless operator with his own vision for Vietnam’s modernization. In 1963, allied clashes over development and reform, combined with rising internal resistance to Diem’s nation building programs, fractured the alliance and changed the course of the Vietnam War. In depicting the rise and fall of the U. S. –Diem partnership, Misalliance shows how America’s fate in Vietnam was written not only on the battlefield but also in Washington’s dealings with its Vietnamese allies.
Miscellaneous Writings
by John Stuart Mill John RobsonThe interests and activities of John Stuart Mill (1806-73) were so wide-ranging that even the varied subjects of thirty previously published volumes of Collected Works cannot encompass them all. In this volume are brought together diverse and interesting instances of his polymathic career, none before republished and some previously unpublished.Neatly framing Mill's writing career are his editorial prefaces and extensive notes to Jeremy Bentham;s Rationale of Judicial Evidence (1827) and James Mill's Analysis of the Phenomena of the Human Mind (1869). Both demonstrate his extraordinary powers of mind and diligence as well as his fealty. His constant avocation, field botany, is shown in his botanical writings, which open a window on an almost unknown activity that sustained and delighted him. Brief comments on two medical works hint at another interest. Two articles of which he was co-author demonstrate his work as editor of the London and Westminster Review, and a calendar of his contributions to the Political Economy Club provides yet another glimpse into his chosen activities and concerns. Published for the first time are Mill's English and French wills, providing still further biographical detail.
Mischka's War: A European Odyssey of the 1940s
by Sheila FitzpatrickOn a winter's day in 1943, 22-year-old Mischka Danos chanced on a terrible sight as he skied through Latvian woods—a pit filled with the bodies of Jews killed by the occupying Germans. The world was full of such atrocities, which makes Mischka's decision to escape conscription to the Waffen-SS by going on a student exchange to Germany all the more remarkable. Even more so when Mischka later discovered he was part-Jewish.But his was no ordinary life. He narrowly escaped death in the Allied fire bombing of Dresden. He then lived the precarious life of a Displaced Person in occupied Germany before heading north with the hope of crossing the border into Denmark, where he finally reunited with his mother Olga. He went on to become a member of the exceptional Heidelberg school of physics. They were both resettled in the US at the beginning of the 1950s, which is where, much later, he met, fell in love with and married Sheila Fitzpatrick.Fitzpatrick pieces together her late husband's story through diaries, correspondence and recollections: 'This is a historian's book but it's also a wife's book about her husband ... an offering of love that is also a search for knowledge.'
Misconception
by Angela Hunt Shannon Morell Paul MorellPaul and Shannon Morell take readers on their journey of in vitro fertilization gone wrong.
Misconceptions (ebook)
by Angela Hunt Shannon Morell Paul MorellIn February of 2009, Shannon and Paul Morell were especially eager to bring a new life into the world. After years of infertility and miscarriages they had, in 2006, finally scrimped and saved enough to have in vitro fertilization. The result? Two dear daughters had been born, and six precious embryos had been frozen. They counted the days until they could transfer the six remaining embryos. Until the fateful day of February 17, 2009, when the clinic called. “The doctor would like to you to come in today?” Shannon writes, “Face to face with the doctor, I noticed that his face was gravely serious. 'There's been a terrible incident in our lab,' he said. 'Your embryos have been thawed.' A pause, as we both exchanged disbelieving looks, and he went on.... 'Your embryos have been transferred into another woman.'" The Morells have a story to tell. A cautionary tale of medical errors, unexpected miracles, sincere mourning, and grateful bonding with their son. Amazingly, theirs is also a story of joy-filled thanksgiving . . . a story of life—life that is precious, sacred, and treasured.
Misdefending The Realm: How Mi5's Incompetence Enabled Communist Subversion Of Britain's Institutions During The Nazi-soviet Pact
by Antony PercyWhen, early in 1940, an important Soviet defector provided hints to British Intelligence about spies within the country's institutions, MI5's report was intercepted by a Soviet agent in the Home Office. She alerted her sometime lover, Isaiah Berlin, and Berlin's friend, Guy Burgess, whereupon the pair initiated a rapid counter-attack. Burgess contrived a reason for the two of them to visit the Soviet Union, which was then an ally of Nazi Germany, in order to alert his bosses of the threat and protect the infamous 'Cambridge Spies'. The story of this extraordinary escapade, hitherto ignored by the historians, lies at the heart of a thorough and scholarly expose of MI5's constitutional inability to resist communist infiltration of Britain's corridors of power and its later attempt to cover up its negligence. Guy Burgess's involvement in intelligence during WWII has been conveniently airbrushed out of existence in the official histories and the activities of his collaborator, Isaiah Berlin, disclosed in the latter's letters, have been strangely ignored by historians. Yet Burgess, fortified by the generous view of Marxism emanating from Oxbridge, contrived to effect a change in culture in MI5, whereby the established expert in communist counter-espionage was sidelined and Burgess's cronies were recruited into the Security Service itself.Using the threat of a Nazi Fifth Column as a diversion, Burgess succeeded in minimising the communist threat and placing Red sympathisers elsewhere in government. The outcome of this strategy was far-reaching. When the Soviet Union was invaded by Hitler's troops in June 1941, Churchill declared his support for Stalin in defeating the Nazi aggressor. But British policy-makers had all too quickly forgotten that the Communists would still be an enduring threat when the war was won and appeasement of Hitler was quickly replaced by appeasement of Stalin. Moreover, an indulgence towards communist scientists meant that the atom secrets shared by the US and the UK were betrayed. When this espionage was detected, MI5's officers engaged in an extensive cover-up to conceal their misdeeds. Exploiting recently declassified material and a broad range of historical and biographical sources, Antony Percy reveals that MI5 showed an embarrassing lack of leadership, discipline and tradecraft in its mission of `Defending the Realm'. This book will be of interest to all students of history, international relations, espionage and civil, national and international security.
Misdiagnosed
by Jody Berger"Berger movingly details her journey to healing. Her indefatigable quest...underscores the fact that there is no such thing as one size fits all in medicine."--Gayatri Devi, MD, clinical associate professor, NYU School of Medicine, and author of A Calm BrainTaking charge of your health has never been so important as it is today.Jody Berger has discovered this first hand: at forty-three, the award-winning journalist and marathoner sees a doctor about a minor tingling sensation in her hands and feet. One MRI later, she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and told to pick a drug and accept her fate. Instead Jody starts asking questions--only to receive a different diagnosis from each specialist she turns to, from vitamin deficiencies to metal toxicity to depression. In this powerful, witty, and eye-opening account of her misadventures from misdiagnosis to miraculous recovery, Jody offers insightful tips on how to ask doctors the right questions to get the answers and treatment you need, listen to your body, and choose health over illness. After all, while we can't always heal, we can always take control of our health and ourselves--starting now."In this compelling, beautifully written book, Jody Berger offers an empowering look at the importance of finding the strength and confidence to take charge of your health."--Mary Shomon, New York Times bestselling author and patient advocate
Miseducated: A Memoir
by Brandon P. FlemingAn inspiring memoir of one man&’s transformation from a delinquent, drug-dealing dropout to an award-winning Harvard educator through literature and debate—all by the age of twenty-seven.Brandon P. Fleming grew up in an abusive home and was shuffled through school, his passing grades a nod to his skill on the basketball court, not his presence in the classroom. He turned to the streets and drug deals by fourteen, saved only by the dream of basketball stardom. When he suffered a career-ending injury during his first semester at a Division I school, he dropped out of college, toiling on an assembly line, until depression drove him to the edge. Miraculously, his life was spared.Returning to college, Fleming was determined to reinvent himself as a scholar—to replace illiteracy with mastery over language, to go from being ignored and unseen to commanding attention. He immersed himself in the work of Black thinkers from the Harlem Renaissance to present day. Crucially, he found debate, which became the means by which he transformed his life and the tool he would use to transform the lives of others—teaching underserved kids to be intrusive in places that are not inclusive, eventually at Harvard University, where he would make champions and history.Through his personal narrative, readers witness Fleming&’s transformation, self-education, and how he takes what he learns about words and power to help others like himself. Miseducated is an honest memoir about resilience, visibility, role models, and overcoming all expectations.
Misery, Mutiny and Menace: Thrilling Tales of the Sea (vol.2) (Thrilling Tales of the Sea #2)
by Graham FaiellaLife at sea in the nineteenth century was demanding and perilous. Seamen had to be able to rely on those around them. This was easier said than done. The sea could be, and still is, a place of constant and unpredictable danger, whether by storm, shipboard disease or threat from the crew. Stories of unimaginable cruelties inflicted upon crews by savage officers and treacheries committed by mutinous crews were the soap operas of the day. People followed the trials in the newspapers, hanging hungrily on to each new piece of detail. Tales of suffering, hardship and treachery were thrilling to those on land but also replete with piteous infamy.
Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the '80s
by Gary Gulman“One of my favorite books of all time.” ―Amy SchumerA tour de force of comedy and reflection about the perilous journey from kindergarten to twelfth grade and beyond―from the beloved stand-up comic and creator of The Great DepreshFor years, Gary Gulman had been the comedian’s comedian, acclaimed for his delight in language and his bracing honesty. But after two stints in a psych ward, he found himself back in his mother’s house in Boston—living in his childhood bedroom at age forty-six, as he struggled to regain his mental health. That’s where Misfit begins. Then it goes way back. This is no ordinary book about growing older and growing up. Gulman has an astonishing memory and takes the reader through every year of his childhood education, with obsessively detailed stories that are in turn alarming and riotously funny. We meet Gulman’s family, neighbors, teachers, heroes, and antagonists, and get to know the young comedian-in-the-making who is his own worst―and most persistent―enemy. From failing to impress at grade school show-and-tell to literally fumbling at his first big football game―in settings that take us all the way from the local playground to the local mall, from Hebrew School to his best (and only) friend’s rec room, young Gary becomes a stand-in for everyone who grew up wondering if they would ever truly fit in. And that’s not all: the book is also chock-full of ‘80s nostalgia (Scented Markers, indifference to sunscreen, mall culture).Misfit is a book that only Gary Gulman could have written: a brilliant, witty, poignant, laugh-until-your-face-hurts memoir that speaks directly to the awkward child in us all.
Misfit: autistic. gay. immigrant. changemaker.
by Andreas SouvaliotisUpdated and expanded: A new edition of the inspiring memoir by one of Canada's most unusual, successful and socially conscious businesspeople."I am different. I have always been different. I grew up scared of being found out, scared of my natural inability to fit in, to conform, to look and sound and dress and behave 'normal.' I was always drawn to the different ones and I observed them with fascination--but the thought of being even a little bit like them mortified me. I was desperate to fit in. . . ." --From MisfitAndreas Souvaliotis was raised at a time when being on the autism spectrum wasn't easily diagnosed or even discussed. Minds like his were simply considered odd. He also knew from an early age he was gay, and it terrified him as he was growing up with openly homophobic parents in one of Europe's least tolerant societies.Andreas's differences made him an outsider, right through to his mid-forties. And then suddenly, everything changed. Misfit is the extraordinary memoir of a man who realized there was strength in his strangeness, that it could be used as a force for good. "It all happened in a flash. On a beautiful spring morning in 2007, sitting in my backyard and licking my wounds from a spectacular career derailment, I came up with a big idea--and I found myself contemplating the most daring and unconventional pursuit of my life." The weird kid from Greece was on his way to making his world, and everyone's world, a better place.Andreas Souvaliotis's inspiring story shows us that everyone has what it takes to trigger positive change, and that none of us should see our differences and quirks as handicaps.
Misremembering Dr. King: Revisiting The Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr
by Jennifer J. YancoWe all know the name. Martin Luther King, the great American Civil Rights leader. But most people today know relatively little about King, the campaigner against militarism, materialism, and racism—what he called the "giant triplets. " Jennifer J. Yanco takes steps to redress this imbalance. "My objective is to highlight the important aspects of Dr. King’s work which have all but disappeared from popular memory, so that more of us can ‘really see King. ’" After briefly telling the familiar story of King’s civil rights campaigns and accomplishments, she considers the lesser-known concerns that are an essential part of his legacy. Here we are reminded that King was an anti–Vietnam War activist who argued that resources spent on militarism and national security served few at the expense of many; that growing materialism and an ethos of greed was damaging the moral and spiritual health of the country even as it impoverished a disproportionate number of blacks; and that the way to address the harm done to blacks by centuries of racism was to do something special to help them compete on a just and equal basis.
Miss Alcott's Email: Yours for Reforms of All Kinds
by Kit BakkeShouldn’t life be more than simply showing up? Is it enough to be part of a family, make another family, earn your living, and then exit stage left? Or should you engage and be engaged in a bit of purposeful shaking and shoving along the way? These are questions that Kit Bakke urgently needs answered. Tired of self-proclaimed gurus and self-help books, she turns to her childhood role model — Louisa May Alcott — for direction. She sends an e-mail to Louisa, and is amazed when she receives a reply. Their correspondence becomes a dance of ideas and tales bridging the mid-1800s and the twenty-first century. But why Louisa? “Her abolitionist zeal, her women’s rights advocacy, her hospital work, her crazy commune days, her heartfelt desire to leave the world a better place, her humor and her energy all materialized in front of me,” writes Bakke. “Louisa was serious when she signed her letters, ‘Yours for reforms of all kinds.’ She made her life, she didn’t just live it.” When Kit Bakke came of age in the late 1960s, America was going through major social and political turmoil. She and many of her generation elected to pursue radical ways to protest the Vietnam War and civil rights injustices at home, and Bakke joined the notorious Weather Underground. Eventually she left the movement to become a wife, a mother, and a professional nurse, but the persistent questions about the best way to live her life, make her contribution, and find satisfaction remained. By initiating her extraordinary correspondence with Louisa May Alcott, Kit hopes to “pick up some clues for my friends and myself about how better to live the thirty or so years that might be remaining to us. And besides, we would be giving Louisa a treat that couldn’t be beat—a peek into the future.”