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No Place to Hide
by Robert O'Harrow Jr.In No Place to Hide, award-winning Washington Post reporter Robert O'Harrow, Jr., lays out in unnerving detail the post-9/11 marriage of private data and technology companies and government anti-terror initiatives to create something entirely new: a security-industrial complex. Drawing on his years of investigation, O'Harrow shows how the government now depends on burgeoning private reservoirs of information about almost every aspect of our lives to promote homeland security and fight the war on terror. Consider the following: When you use your cell phone, the phone company knows where you are and when. If you use a discount card, your grocery and prescription purchases are recorded, profiled, and analyzed. Many new cars have built-in devices that enable companies to track from afar details about your movements. Software and information companies can even generate graphical link-analysis charts illustrating exactly how each person in a room is related to every other -- through jobs, roommates, family, and the like. Almost anyone can buy a dossier on you, including almost everything it takes to commit identity theft, for less than fifty dollars. It may sound like science fiction, but it's the routine activity of the nation's fast-growing information industry and, more and more, its new partner the U.S. government. With unrivaled access, O'Harrow tells the inside stories of key players in this new world, from software inventors to counterintelligence officials. He reveals how the government is creating a national intelligence infrastructure with the help of private companies. And he examines the impact of this new security system on our traditional notions of civil liberties, autonomy, and privacy, and the ways it threatens to undermine some of our society's most cherished values, even while offering us a sense of security. This eye-opening examination takes readers behind the walls of secrecy and shows how we are rushing toward a surveillance society with few rules to guide and protect us. In this new world of high-tech domestic intelligence, there is literally no place to hide.
Unfaithful Angels: How Social Work Has Abandoned Its Mission
by Harry Specht Mark E. CourtneyIn this provocative examination of the fall of the profession of social work from its original mission to aid and serve the underprivileged, Harry Specht and Mark Courtney show how America's excessive trust in individualistic solutions to social problems have led to the abandonment of the poor in this country.A large proportion of all certified social workers today have left the social services to enter private practice, thereby turning to the middle class -- those who can afford psychotherapy -- and away from the poor. As Specht and Courtney persuasively demonstrate, if social work continues to drift in this direction there is good reason to expect that the profession will be entirely engulfed by psychotherapy within the next twenty years, leaving a huge gap in the provision of social services traditionally filled by social workers. The authors examine the waste of public funds this trend occasions, as social workers educated with public money abandon community service in increasing numbers.
Beyond Entitlement: The Social Obligations of Citizenship
by Lawrence M. MeadMead's timely and closely reasoned analysis makes a strong intellectual and moral case for a more authoritative welfare policy.
A Royal Tea (Mermaid Tales #9)
by Debbie DadeyWhen Shelly meets the Queen of the Western Oceans in this Mermaid Tales adventure, she encounters a royal dilemma!When a royal messenger announces that Queen Edwina is coming to tea, Shelly is as jittery as a jellyfish! After all, the Queen of the Western Oceans is her great aunt. And despite being a princess, Shelly has never met a queen before. How should she act? What should she wear?Then Pearl tells Shelly that the queen is going to take Shelly to live in Neptune’s Castle: “It’s where a real princess would live,” Pearl tells her. Shelly is terrified of leaving her home, friends, and beloved grandfather behind. When the royal carriage arrives, she’s trembling from the top of her head to the tip of her tail. What will Queen Edwina think of Princess Shelly? And will she really take Shelly away from the home she loves?
Thomas Jefferson: Author of America (Eminent Lives)
by Christopher Hitchens"A balanced, readable portrait. A refreshing perspective.” —New York Times Book ReviewWith intelligence, insight, eloquence, and wit, bestselling author Christopher Hitchens gives us an artful portrait of a complex, formative figure in American history and his turbulent era.In this unique biography of Thomas Jefferson, leading journalist and social critic Christopher Hitchens offers a startlingly new and provocative interpretation of our Founding Father—a man conflicted by power who wrote the Declaration of Independence and acted as ambassador to France yet yearned for a quieter career in the Virginia legislature. A masterly writer, Jefferson was an awkward public speaker. A professed proponent of emancipation, he elided the issue of slavery from the Declaration of Independence and continued to own human property. A reluctant candidate, he left an indelible presidential legacy.
Encyclopedia Paranoiaca
by Henry Beard Christopher CerfIGNORE THIS BOOK AT YOUR PERIL!Did you know that carrots cause blindness and bananas are radioactive? That too many candlelight dinners can cause cancer? And not only is bottled water a veritable petri dish of biohazards (so is tap water, by the way) but riding a bicycle might destroy your sex life? In Encyclopedia Paranoiaca, master satirists Henry Beard and Christopher Cerf have assembled an authoritative, disturbingly comprehensive, and utterly debilitating inventory of things poised to harm, maim, or kill you—all of them based on actual research about the perils of everyday life. Painstakingly alphabetized, cross-referenced, and thoroughly sourced for easy reference, this book just might save your life. (Apologies in advance if it doesn’t.) Beard and Cerf cite convincing evidence that everyday things we consider healthy—eating leafy greens, flossing, washing our hands—are actually harmful, and items we thought were innocuous— drinking straws, flip-flops, neckties, skinny jeans— pose life-threatening dangers. Did you know that nearly ten thousand people are sent to the emergency room each year because of escalator accidents, and, despite what you’ve heard, farmers’ markets may actually be less safe than grocery stores? And if you’re crossing your legs right now, you’re definitely at serious risk. Hilarious, insightful, and, at times, downright terrifying, Encyclopedia Paranoiaca brings to light a whole host of hidden threats and looming dooms that make asteroid impacts, planetary pandemics, and global warming look like a walk in the park (which is also emphatically not recommended). *** The Definitive Compendium of Things You Absolutely, Positively Must Not Eat, Drink, Wear, Take, Grow, Make, Buy, Use, Do, Permit, Believe, or Let Yourself Be Exposed to, Including an Awful Lot of Toxic, Lethal, Horrible Stuff That You Thought Was Safe, Good, or Healthy; All Sorts of Really Bad People Who Are Out to Get, Cheat, Steal from, or Otherwise Take Advantage of You; and a Whole Host of Existential Threats and Looming Dooms That Make Global Warming, Giant Meteors, and Planetary Pandemics Look Like a Walk in the Park (with Its High Risk of Skin Cancer, Broken Bones, Bee Stings, Allergic Seizures, Animal Attacks, Criminal Assaults, and Lightning Strikes)
Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense & Sensibility
by Mireille GuilianoFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling “high priestess of French lady wisdom” (USA Today) comes every woman’s guide to navigating the world of work, living the good life, and savoring every minute of it.Mireille Guiliano, internationally bestselling author of French Women Don’t Get Fat and former senior executive for Veuve Clicquot, uses her distinctive French woman’s philosophy and style to share lively lessons, stories, and helpful hints from her experiences at the front lines and highest echelons of the business world. Guiliano offers every reader the practical advice she needs to make the most of work without ever losing sight of what is most important: feeling good, facing challenges, getting ahead, and maximizing pleasure at every opportunity.
Society and the Environment: Pragmatic Solutions to Ecological Issues
by Michael S CarolanThe fourth edition of Society and the Environment centers its discussion on realistic solutions to the problems that persist and examines current controversies within a socio‑organizational context, shifting focus away from simply explaining what is wrong with the world around us. Introducing this “pragmatic environmentalism,” Carolan discusses the complex pressures and variables that exist where ecology and society collide, with population growth, the increase in demands for food and energy, and transportation and its outsized influence on urban and community patterns. With further attention given to the social phenomena and structural dynamics driving today’s environmental problems, the book concludes with an important reflection on truly sustainable solutions and what constitutes meaningful social change.Each chapter in this interdisciplinary text follows a three‑part structure beginning with an overview of what is wrong and why. This leads into a discussion on each issue’s wide‑ranging implications and, finally, a balanced consideration of realistic solutions. Featuring updated and expanded examples, discussion points, and coverage of recent developments, including the US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, “booming” national economies and wealth distribution, growing global interest in environmental justice—with particular focus on the links between injustice and race and inequality—climate change, and renewable energy, this new edition remains an essential companion for courses on environmental sociology and sustainability.
Psychosocial and Cultural Perspectives on the War in Ukraine: Imprints and Dreamscapes
by Bohdan Shumylovych Magdalena ZolkosThis innovative and important book explores how war imprints on culture and the psychosocial effects of war on individuals and societies, based on the first few months after the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022.The book approaches the conflict in Ukraine through the prism of creative and artistic material alongside scholarly analysis to highlight the multiplicity of subjective experiences. Essays are complemented by material from the ‘war diaries’, which comprise day diaries, dream diaries, artistic and poetic material composed by students and academics in February and March 2022. With chapters focusing on fear, ruptures and resistance, the book examines different aspects of subjective, cultural and embodied experiences of war. It examines elements that dominant perspectives of war often overlook; the quotidian, personal and emotive ways that war is registered individually and collectively in societies and cultures.Highlighting different narratives that illuminate the complex effects of war, this book is highly relevant for postgraduate students, researchers and advanced undergraduate students in the fields of cultural psychology, psychosocial studies, peace and conflict studies and cultural history.Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 7 and Chapter 10 of this book are freely available as downloadable Open Access PDFs at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.To read the online archive of Two Months of War, please visit the Urban Media Archive of the Center for Urban History (Lviv, Ukraine): https://uma.lvivcenter.org/en/collections/178/interviews
The Clean Hydrogen Economy and Saudi Arabia: Domestic Developments and International Opportunities (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Economics)
by Rami Shabaneh Jitendra Roychoudhury Jan Frederik Braun Saumitra SaxenaThis book provides a first-of-its-kind analysis of the emerging global hydrogen economy from the vantage point of one of the world’s biggest energy providers: Saudi Arabia. In 2021, and within the context of the Circular Carbon Economy framework, Saudi Arabia announced its goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 and produce a substantial amount of clean hydrogen annually by 2030. The Kingdom is optimally situated geographically between the major demand markets in Europe and North Asia, from where it can leverage clean hydrogen exports as a potential tool to become a player of strategic importance and successfully diversify its economy under its Vision 2030 program. More broadly, the book charts a course for fossil fuel-exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia to carve a competitive position for themselves over the forthcoming decades using clean hydrogen as a catalyst for the energy transition.With contributions from global energy experts, the chapters in this book provide a multifaceted analysis of the "who," "what," "where," and "why" related to clean hydrogen development within and beyond Saudi Arabia. Collectively, the contributions analyze the countries and regions relevant to Saudi Arabia in terms of dedicated hydrogen policies, projects, and approaches that aim to incentivize production and demand in an increasingly carbon-constrained world. The book is a timely, unique and an indispensable resource for practitioners and students of energy, geopolitics, and climate policy working on hydrogen in academia, applied research, national government bodies, and international organizations.
Amy Is a Little Bit Chicken: Liz And The Sand Castle Contest; Marion Takes Charge; Amy Is A Little Bit Chicken; Ellie The Flower Girl; Liz's Night At The Museum; Marion And The Secret Letter; Amy On Park Patrol; Ellie Steps Up To The Plate; Liz And The Nosy Neighbor; Etc (The Critter Club #Bk. 13)
by Callie BarkleyAmy and her friends care for some chickens and prepare for the Santa Vista Quiz Bowl in the thirteenth book of The Critter Club series!Amy has never liked being in the spotlight. When all of her friends decide to form a team for the Santa Vista Quiz Bowl, Amy isn’t so sure it’s a good idea. She knows she can answer the quiz questions…but can she do it in front of hundreds of people?Meanwhile, the Critter Club is caring for a few chickens that need a home. And as the day of the Quiz Bowl gets closer, Amy starts to feel a little bit chicken herself! Will she get over her stage fright and help her team win?With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Critter Club chapter books are perfect for beginning readers!
Quick Hits for Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers: Successful Strategies from Award-Winning Teachers
by Robert WolterValuable practical advice for managing classrooms, workloads, and careers.Non-tenure-track lecturers and adjunct instructors face particular challenges at US colleges, including heavy teaching loads, lack of office space, little control over the selection of course topics or textbooks, and long commutes between jobs at two or more schools.Quick Hits for Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers contains short, practice-oriented articles by experienced instructors that offer valuable teaching and career tips for balancing competing demands, addressing student issues, managing classrooms, and enhancing professional development.
Once Upon a Tim (Once Upon A Tim Ser. #1)
by Stuart GibbsJoin New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs in this first book in a hilarious, highly illustrated new middle grade series about a peasant boy who wants to be a knight, perfect for fans of Max & the Midknights.Tim is just a peasant, but he dreams big. He wants more out of life than to grow up to be a woodsman like his father. Unfortunately, the only route to success in the kingdom of Wyld is to be born a prince. Still, Tim is determined. He is brave and clever and always tries to do the right thing—even though he rarely gets the credit for it.Then news spreads that Princess Grace of the neighboring kingdom has been abducted by the evil Stinx and Prince Ruprecht needs a legion of knights to join him on his quest to rescue her. Tim finally has the lucky break he&’s been waiting for, the opportunity to change his station in life. And even though he doesn&’t know how to ride a horse or wield anything more deadly than a water bucket, he&’s going to do whatever it takes to make sure his dream becomes a reality.
E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!: Nicholas St. North And The Battle Of The Nightmare King; E. Aster Bunnymund And The Warrior Eggs At The Earth's Core!; Toothiana, Queen Of The Tooth Fairy Armies (The Guardians #2)
by William JoyceForget the bunny trail.…In this addition to the groundbreaking series from the legendary William Joyce, Guardian E. Astor Bunnymund is on the warpath.Pitch, the Nightmare King, and his Fearlings had been soundly driven back by Nicholas St. North and company in the first Guardians’ adventure. But now Pitch has disappeared completely—and out of sight does NOT make for out of mind. It seems certain that he’s plotting a particularly nefarious revenge, and the Guardians suspect he might have gone underground. But how can they find him there? Enter E. Aster Bunnymund, the only emissary of the fabled brotherhood of the Pookas—the league of philosophical warrior rabbits of imposing intellect and size. Highly skilled in martial arts (many of which he invented himself), Bunnymund is brilliant, logical, and a tunnel-digger extraordinaire. If the Guardians need paths near the Earth’s core, he’s their Pooka. He’s also armed with magnificent weapons of an oval-sort, and might just be able to help in the quest for the second piece of the Moonclipper.This second book in The Guardians series is about much more than fixing a few rotten eggs—it brings the Guardians one step closer to defeating Pitch!
Hugs: 365 Devotions to Inspire Your Day
by Howard BooksInspirational hugs of appreciation for the love that grandmothers share -- every day of the year.
Methods of Social Research
by Kenneth D. BaileyAn introduction for undergraduates to every stage of sociological research, showing how to deal effectively with typical problems they might encounter. The book is fully updated to include examples from the LA riots and the 1992 presidential elections.
Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America
by David KampOne of the &“Best Books&” of the year from The Smithsonian, The Washington Independent Review, and more!From bestselling writer David Kamp, the &“fun, fascinating, and surprisingly touching,&” (People) behind-the-scenes story of the cultural heroes who created the beloved children&’s TV programs Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Mister Rogers&’ Neighborhood, Free to Be…Youand Me, and Schoolhouse Rock!—which transformed American childhood for the better, teaching kids about diversity, the ABCs, and feminism through a fun, funky 1970s lens.With a foreword by Questlove.In 1970, on a soundstage on Manhattan&’s Upper West Side, a group of men, women, and Muppets of various ages and colors worked doggedly to finish the first season of a children&’s TV program that was not yet assured a second season: Sesame Street. They were conducting an experiment to see if television could be used to better prepare disadvantaged preschoolers for kindergarten. What they didn&’t know then was that they were starting a cultural revolution that would affect all American kids.In Sunny Days, bestselling author David Kamp captures the unique political and social moment that gave us not only Sesame Street, but also Fred Rogers&’s gentle yet brave Mister Rogers&’ Neighborhood; Marlo Thomas&’s unabashed gender politics primer Free to Be…You and Me; Schoolhouse Rock!, an infectious series of educational shorts dreamed up by Madison Ave admen; and more, including The Electric Company and ZOOM. It was a unique time when an uncommon number of media professionals and thought leaders leveraged their influence to help children learn—and, just as notably, a time of unprecedented buy-in from American parents.&“Sunny Days is full of such nostalgic jolts…it makes the era a pleasure to revisit&” (The Wall Street Journal) and captures a wondrous period in the US when a determined few proved that, with persistence and effort, they could change the lives of millions. It is &“a lively and bewitching recounting of a particularly ripe period in television and cultural history&” (The New York Times Book Review) and, as the Los Angeles Times notes, &“a sublime book about a variety of creative people coming together not in the pursuit of fame or money, but to enrich the lives of children.&”
Promise Me: A Novel
by Richard Paul EvansThe #1bestselling author of The Christmas Box and A Christmas Memory presents a breathtaking story of the transcendent power of love.Beth Cardall has a secret. For eighteen years, she has had no choice but to keep it to herself, but on Christmas Eve 2008, all that is about to change. For Beth, 1989 was a year marked by tragedy. Her life was falling apart: her six-year-old daughter, Charlotte, was suffering from an unidentifiable illness; her marriage transformed from a seemingly happy and loving relationship to one full of betrayal and pain; her job at the dry cleaners was increasingly at risk; and she had lost any ability to trust, to hope, or to believe in herself. Then, on Christmas Day, as she rushed through a blizzard to the nearest 7-Eleven, Beth encountered Matthew, a strikingly handsome, mysterious stranger, who would single-handedly change the course of her life. Who is this man, and how does he seem to know so much about her? He pursues her relentlessly, and only after she&’s fallen deeply in love with him does she learn his incredible secret, changing the world as she knows it, as well as her own destiny.
The Emerald Berries (The Adventures of Sophie Mouse #2)
by Poppy GreenIn this second book of The Adventures of Sophie Mouse, Sophie and her friend Hattie Frog go on a daring adventure through the woods in search of some special art supplies!In the second book in The Adventures of Sophie Mouse, Sophie learns about some special emerald berries that will make the most perfect color for a painting she wants to do! But the seamstress who’s using the berries tells Sophie that they can only be found in one part of the forest: Weedsnag Way. Though that’s far from home, and a little scary, Sophie convinces her best friend, Hattie Frog, that they will be fine.But all is not quite fine, and the girls get lost along the way! Thanks to the help of a squirrel who disappeared from Pine Needle Grove years ago, Sophie and Hattie find the emerald berries…and their way home!With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Adventures of Sophie Mouse chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
The Everything Everyday Math Book: From Tipping to Taxes, All the Real-World, Everyday Math Skills You Need
by Christopher MonahanAll the math basics you'll ever need!It's not too late to learn practical math skills! You may not need to use quadratic equations very often, but math does play a large part in everyday life. On any given day, you'll need to know how long a drive will take, what to tip a waiter, how large a rug to buy, and how to calculate a discount. With The Everything Everyday Math Book, you'll get a refresher course in all the basics you need, including:Adding and subtracting fractionsUnderstanding percentagesUsing ratiosFinding area and perimeter You'll the learn formulas and shortcuts to help in hundreds of everyday situations, from budgeting and paying bills to shopping, redecorating, preparing taxes, and evaluating loans and other financial instruments. With this easy-to-follow guide, you'll never get stuck on a math problem again!
Sheetrock & Shellac: A Thinking Person's Guide to the Art and Science of Home Improvement
by David OwenIn a world of extreme makeovers, this book is a thoughtful, adventure-filled, witty look at what the space we live in says about us, the pleasures of home renovation projects great and small, and how home renovation can change our lives. Few things define us as powerfully as the place where we live. The size and location of a house may reveal basic facts about our financial or social status, but it is the personal touches -- a paint color or a homemade desk -- that reflect our aspirations, our tastes, our secret desires. In Sheetrock & Shellac, David Owen recounts his renovation and home construction projects in small-town Connecticut -- from catching the home improvement bug while watching workmen replacing a leaky roof to his first tentative foray into DIY (successfully building an enclosure for a bathroom radiator that had "turned into a sort of low-tech factory for converting splattered urine into odor and dust"). As his skill grows, so does his confidence: replacing a broken light switch turns into wiring an entire room, making bookcases is followed by building an office. Some of the more overly imaginative projects -- for instance, an ambition to install sinks and hot and cold faucets in all the rooms of the house -- never come to fruition but are amusingly recounted for other intrepid home designers. Owen's two-hundred-year-old farmhouse provides numerous occasions for home improvement projects, and layers (literally) of fascination. Owen quickly learns the hard way when to tackle a project himself and when to turn for help. But soon he's so comfortable with the undertaking that he decides to take the big leap from renovation to building a completely new home from the ground up. In this case, Owen decides to build a weekend cabin a mere six miles away from his home. From a discourse on kitchen countertop materials to the complete history of concrete, to a near-disastrous mishap with a tree, a newly constructed roof, and an overzealous chainsaw, Owen's journey through home designing and building proves both enthrallingly educating and hilariously detailed. New Yorker writer Owen's engaging narrative, filled with a wealth of practical information, hands-on tips, and canny insights, explores the ways in which the human processes of construction and renovation leave all the parties transformed. More than a simple how-to, Sheetrock & Shellac is a why-to, a wellspring of savvy advice and encouragement for anyone who has ever contemplated changing their surroundings and changing their life.
The Ambassadors: America's Diplomats on the Front Lines
by Paul RichterVeteran diplomatic correspondent Paul Richter goes behind the battles and the headlines to show how American ambassadors are the unconventional warriors in the Muslim world—running local government, directing drone strikes, building nations, and risking their lives on the front lines.The tale&’s heroes are a small circle of top career diplomats who have been an unheralded but crucial line of national defense in the past two decades of wars in the greater Middle East. In The Ambassadors, Paul Richter shares the astonishing, true-life stories of four expeditionary diplomats who &“do the hardest things in the hardest places.&”The book describes how Ryan Crocker helped rebuild a shattered Afghan government after the fall of the Taliban and secretly negotiated with the shadowy Iranian mastermind General Qassim Suleimani to wage war in Afghanistan and choose new leaders for post-invasion Iraq. Robert Ford, assigned to be a one-man occupation government for an Iraqi province, struggled to restart a collapsed economy and to deal with spiraling sectarian violence—and was taken hostage by a militia. In Syria at the eruption of the civil war, he is chased by government thugs for defying the country&’s ruler. J. Christopher Stevens is smuggled into Libya as US Envoy to the rebels during its bloody civil war, then returns as ambassador only to be killed during a terror attach in Benghazi. War-zone veteran Anne Patterson is sent to Pakistan, considered the world&’s most dangerous country, to broker deals that prevent a government collapse and to help guide the secret war on jihadists.&“An important and illuminating read&” (The Washington Post) and the winner of the prestigious Douglas Dillon Book Award from the American Academy of Diplomacy, The Ambassadors is a candid examination of the career diplomatic corps, America&’s first point of contact with the outside world, and a critical piece of modern-day history.
Religion 101: From Allah to Zen Buddhism, an Exploration of the Key People, Practices, and Beliefs that Have Shaped the Religions of the World (Adams 101)
by Peter ArcherDiscover the origins and traditions of world religions!With so many religions in the world, it isn't always easy to recall each faith's key influences, spiritual figures, and dogmas. Written in easy-to-understand language, Religion 101 offers a fascinating--and memorable--glimpse at the sacred stories, traditions, and doctrines that have influenced today's most popular religions.From Jesus and the Four Noble Truths to the Buddhist Wheel of Existence, this book provides you with thought-provoking insight into the customs and beliefs of common faiths like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. Inside, you will also discover hundreds of important religious facts, illustrations, and thought puzzles that you won't be able to find anywhere else.So whether you're looking to unravel the mysteries of existence and meaning, or just want to find out what Kabbalah is all about, Religion 101 has all the answers--even the ones you didn't know you were looking for.
Alzheimer's in America: The Shriver Report on Women and Alzheimer's
by Maria ShriverThe Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s will be the first comprehensive multi-disciplinary look at these questions at this transformational moment. The Report will digest the current trends in thinking about Alzheimer’s, examine cutting-edge medical research, look at societal impacts, and include a groundbreaking and comprehensive national poll. It will feature original photography and personal essays by men and women – some from the public arena with names you know, some from everyday America – sharing their personal struggles with the disease as patients, caregivers and family members.
To the Greatest Heights: Facing Danger, Finding Humility, and Climbing a Mountain of Truth
by Vanessa O'BrienThis riveting and uplifting memoir by Vanessa O&’Brien, record-breaking American-British explorer, takes you on an unexpected journey to the top of the world&’s highest mountains. Long before she became the first American woman to summit K2 and the first British woman to return from its summit alive, Vanessa O&’Brien was a feisty suburban Detroit teenager forced to reinvent her world in the wake of a devastating loss that destroyed her family.Making her own way in the world, Vanessa strove to reach her lofty ambitions. Soon, armed with an MBA and a wry sense of humor, she climbed the corporate ladder to great success, but after the 2009 economic meltdown, her career went into a tailspin. She searched for a new purpose and settled on an unlikely goal: climbing Mount Everest. When her first attempt ended in disaster, she trudged home, humbled but wiser. Two years later, she made it to the top of the world. And then she kept going.Grounded by a cadre of wise-cracking friends and an inimitable British spouse, Vanessa held her own in the intensely competitive world of mountaineering, summiting the highest peak on every continent, and skiing the last degree to the North and South Poles. She set new speed records for the Seven Summits, receiving a Guinness World Record and the Explorers Grand Slam, and finally made peace with her traumatic past. During her attempt on K2, she very nearly gave up. But on the &“savage mountain,&” which kills one out of every four climbers who summit, Vanessa evolved from an adventurer out to challenge herself to an explorer with a high-altitude perspective on a changing world—and a new call to share her knowledge and passion across the globe.Told with heart and humor, Vanessa&’s journey from suburban Detroit to Everest&’s Death Zone to the summit of K2 and beyond, is a transformative story of resilience, higher purpose, and the courage to overcome any obstacle.