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Lone Stars: A Novel
by Justin Deabler"Desperately affecting." —The New York Times “Generous and epic…takes us through generations of a singular family, whose loves and losses also tell us a story about America itself." —Eliot Schrefer, National Book Award finalist, author of EndangeredJustin Deabler's Lone Stars follows the arc of four generations of a Texan family in a changing America. Julian Warner, a father at last, wrestles with a question his husband posed: what will you tell our son about the people you came from, now that they're gone? Finding the answers takes Julian back in time to Eisenhower's immigration border raids, an epistolary love affair during the Vietnam War, crumbling marriages, queer migrations to Cambridge and New York, up to the disorienting polarization of Obama's second term. And in these answers lies a hope: that by uncloseting ourselves—as immigrants, smart women, gay people—we find power in empathy.
Peter Capstick's Africa: A Return to the Long Grass
by Peter Hathaway CapstickPeter Hathaway Capstick is a name synonymous with excitement, danger, and high adventure. Sportsman, adventurer, raconteur par excellence, Capstick has been recognized as a modern-day master of African hunting literature—a successor to the works of Hemingway and Robert Ruark.Capstick has written post facto about classic hunters of the past and safaris in which he participated as a professional hunter in such books as Death in the Silent Places and Death in the Dark Continent. Now, he presents an enthralling tale of an entirely new safari, an exciting first-person adventure of his own dangerous and very personal excursion. The result is a definitive work on African hunting, and one of his greatest achievements.In 1985, Capstick went back into the African bush with two top photographers and a crack professional hunter. It was a venture taken for personal challenge, and for the chance to look anew at what had become of the Africa immortalized in his own earlier works. Peter Capstick’s Africa: A Return to the Long Grass is the chronicle, in text and pictures, of this safari. It is full of the same edge-of-the-seat narration, witty anecdotes, and wry observations that have made Capstick’s earlier books so popular. The text of the book has been integrated with the photographs of Paul Kimble and Dick van Niekerk into a lavish full-color production that illustrates Capstick’s narrative in a way his fans have never seen before.
Reasons to Be Pretty: A Play
by Neil LaButeIn Reasons to Be Pretty, Greg's tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his offhand remarks about a female coworker's pretty face and his own girlfriend Steph's lack thereof get back to Steph. But that's just the beginning. Greg's best buddy, Kent, and Kent's wife, Carly, also enter into the picture, and the emotional equation becomes exponentially more complicated. As their relationships crumble, the four friends are forced to confront a sea of deceit, infidelity, and betrayed trust in their journey to answer that oh-so-American question: How much is pretty worth? Neil LaBute's bristling new comic drama puts the final ferocious cap on a trilogy of plays that began with The Shape of Things and Fat Pig. America's obsession with physical beauty is confronted headlong in this brutal and exhilarating work.
Dear Miss Demeanor: A Claire Malloy Mystery (Claire Malloy Mysteries)
by Joan HessAgatha Award-winning author Joan Hess, the prolific creator of the Claire Malloy and Maggody mysteries, is beloved for her clever sleuths, quirky characters, and her ingenious plotting. We invite you to enjoy this delightful Claire Malloy mystery, and to discover why Sharyn McCrumb calls Joan Hess "the patron saint of comic mystery." At Farberville High, it's reading, writing...and murder.Who knows what evil lurks in the halls of Farbervilles' high school-or what blackmail is hidden in Miss Demeanor's Falcon Crier advice column? Certainly not bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy-until her daughter Caron persuades her to substitute for disgraced column editor and journalism teacher Emily Parchester. Surely Miss Parchester cannot be guilty of embezzlement. But the petty charges graduate to murder when Principal Weiss gets his last licks from Miss Parchester's peach compote. Miss Parchester herself, last seen at a local sanitarium, is suddenly missing. And now it's up to Claire to find someone who's been schooled in the fine art of murder...
Last of the Great Scouts: The True Story of Buffalo Bill Cody
by Helen Cody Wetmore Zane GreyThe boy who became "Buffalo Bill" got his first job as a mule-driver on the bleak Kansas plains, then became a a Pony Express rider, a cavalry scout, an Indian fighter, a buffalo hunter for the railroads, and a world-famous "Wild West Show" celebrity along with his friend, Wild Bill Hickok.Buffalo Bill Cody lived to become a legend of the Old West, they symbol of America's wild frontier. Here is the true story of his adventures, told by his sister, with the help of America's greatest western author--Zane Grey.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence: What It Is, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going
by Michael WooldridgeFrom Oxford's leading AI researcher comes a fun and accessible tour through the history and future of one of the most cutting edge and misunderstood field in science: Artificial IntelligenceThe somewhat ill-defined long-term aim of AI is to build machines that are conscious, self-aware, and sentient; machines capable of the kind of intelligent autonomous action that currently only people are capable of. As an AI researcher with 25 years of experience, professor Mike Wooldridge has learned to be obsessively cautious about such claims, while still promoting an intense optimism about the future of the field. There have been genuine scientific breakthroughs that have made AI systems possible in the past decade that the founders of the field would have hailed as miraculous. Driverless cars and automated translation tools are just two examples of AI technologies that have become a practical, everyday reality in the past few years, and which will have a huge impact on our world.While the dream of conscious machines remains, Professor Wooldridge believes, a distant prospect, the floodgates for AI have opened. Wooldridge's A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence is an exciting romp through the history of this groundbreaking field--a one-stop-shop for AI's past, present, and world-changing future.
Paris Walks: Seven Intimate Walking Tours of Paris's Most Historic and Enchanting Quarters
by Sonia Landes Alison Landes Rebecca LandesThe perfect walking guide to Paris and its history, now in a thoroughly updated sixth editionFull of architectural detail, unique advice, and historical anecdotes, Pariswalks allows the reader to do as the Parisians do--take to the streets on foot to discover the secret splendors of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Sonia, Alison, and Rebecca Landes lead the reader through the maze of Paris's hidden back streets and into the tiny shops, secluded courtyards, underground cellars, and serene interiors that tourists rarely see.In this newly revised edition, readers will find completely updated walks covering the most interesting neighborhoods of central Paris, from the Place de la Bastille to the Boulevard St.-Germain, and an all new tour of the Place de la Concorde. Each walk is easily completed in a morning or afternoon and suggests shopping, dining, and cultural stops.Featuring maps, more than forty black-and-white photographs, and a select list of restaurants and hotels, Pariswalks is the essential companion to the hidden wonders of the City of Lights.
The Family Guide to Fighting Fat: A Parent's Guide to Handling Obesity and Eating Issues
by Texas Children's HospitalA PRACTICAL GUIDE TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILYMore than 30 percent of American children are overweight. Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in this country, leading to early onset diabetes and a general health crisis for children. The best plan to attack obesity starts at home and engages the whole family. And now, the experts at Texas Children's Hospital are providing the tools to do it.This book gives parents the information and strategies they need to help their children eat less fast food and boost fitness. It features information on healthy diet and exercise options for every age group. It gets families off to the right start for losing extra pounds and guides them through a step-by-step approach to creating a personalized plan for controlling weight.Through this guide, the experts at Texas Children's Hospital empower parents to establish healthy family habits. With numerous nutritious recipes, fun activities to get the family fit, and helpful tips to overcome weight management roadblocks, this guide is an excellent resource for parents who want to make a healthy lifestyle a way of life.Drawing on the expertise of the wide range of health professionals at Texas Children's Hospital, this book is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to family weight management and smart nutrition. Texas Children's Hospital is one of the largest pediatric medical centers in the United States. Consistently recognized as one of the top children's hospitals in the nation by Child magazine and the U.S. News & World Report, Texas Children's Hospital is committed to creating a community of healthy children through excellence in patient care, education and research.
Salt Marsh Diary: A Year on the Connecticut Coast
by Mark Seth LenderNPR contributor and nature writer Mark Seth Lender chronicles the daily life of a salt marsh near his home Mark Seth Lender's home is on the edge of a salt marsh. From his front porch and back yard he is witness to an astonishing array of wildlife, but nothing he sees is more beautiful and inspiring than the birds that fill the air, perch on trees and wade in shallow water. His reports on the sighting of birds like great horned owls, little blue herons and snowy egrets are featured in the segment "Salt Marsh Diary" heard on NPR's Living on Earth. For the first time, he has chronicled the marsh's life in a book penned from his perch. With the soul of a poet and the precision of a naturalist, Lender transports the reader to the edge of his salt marsh and makes us both see and hear kingfishers, terns, bluebirds, egrets and other wonders that fill the sky above us.
Taken by the Wind (Jane Lawless Mysteries Series)
by Ellen HartEllen Hart was named the 2017 MWA Grand Master, the most distinguished lifetime achievement award offered in the mystery community. Although Eric and Andrew have been trying to keep up a semblance of normal life, they know their thirteen-year-old son Jack has been having a tough time of it since they separated. They've been concerned, but now they're terrified—Jack has run away from home. It happened once before, just after the separation, but then it was only a matter of hours before Eric found him. This time, Jack disappeared with his cousin, and the two of them haven't been seen for more than twenty-four hours. Desperate, Eric and Andrew call on private investigator Jane Lawless, a friend of Andrew's from years ago. Despite the fact that her business partner, A.J. Nolan, is now in a wheelchair and struggling with depression, Jane agrees to help out. But after examining Eric and Andrew's home, Jane's first impression of the case isn't good—in fact, she's not convinced the boys ran away at all. She thinks they may have been abducted…or worse.Taken by the Wind, the latest riveting mystery from award-winning author and MWA Grand Master Ellen Hart, is a race against the clock for Jane and the terrified parents of two missing boys.
Kitty Saves the World (Kitty Norville)
by Carrie VaughnKitty Saves the World: the final novel in the New York Times bestselling Kitty Norville series by Carrie VaughnIt's all come down to this, following the discoveries made by Cormac in Low Midnight, Kitty and her allies are ready to strike. But, when their assassination attempt on the evil vampire Dux Bellorum fails, Kitty finds herself running out of time. The elusive vampire lord has begun his apocalyptic end game, and Kitty still doesn't know where he will strike. Meanwhile, pressure mounts in Denver as Kitty and her pack begin to experience the true reach of Dux Bellorum's cult. Outnumbered and outgunned at every turn, the stakes have never been higher for Kitty. She will have to call on allies both old and new in order to save not just her family and friends, but the rest of the world as well.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Insane Training: Garage Training, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, and All-Out Bad-Ass Workouts
by Matt KroczaleskiMatt "Kroc" Kroczaleski is a world champion, record holding powerlifter and an NPC bodybuilder known for his grueling, high intensity workouts. Insane Training is what Kroc is famous for. His new book of the same name is full of programs that will help every gym rat take it to the next level, whether that's flipping a tractor tire 100 yards, deadlifting three times their body weight, improving athletic performance or puking in a bucket — this book has it all! Not for the faint of heart or average gym-goer, this is for athletes who want to take their training to the max. Are you INSANE enough to try?· Learn how to squat for maximum poundage;· Lift weights anywhere with a little creativity;· Push yourself to the limit with the 1000 rep arm training session;· Smash through your workout plateaus;· Become the ultimate INSANE TRAINING beast!
Go Big Red: The Ultimate Fan's Guide to Nebraska Cornhusker Football
by Michael BabcockGo Big Red covers Nebraska football in a way no other publication has, with personality profiles, anecdotes, and original research, as well as questions of fact and trivia, some of which will test even the most devoted and knowledgeable Cornhusker fans.Nebraska has enjoyed thirty-six consecutive winning seasons, made twenty-nine consecutive bowl appearances, and won five national championships. During that time, the Cornhuskers have had just two head coaches, Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.Without question, this is the golden era of Cornhusker football, and Go Big Red is a celebration of that indisputable fact. It is much more than a trivia book--it goes beyond the hefty and comprehensive media guides published each season by the Nebraska Sports Information Office.There is a section devoted to the best of Broderick Thomas, the loquacious outside linebacker. And there are also some things you won't remember, or things you might not have known. Can you name all of the assistant coaches on Osborne's first staff in 1973? Can you list Nebraska's starters for the 1941 Rose Bowl game? Do you know how the "Blackshirt" tradition began?Devaney was a master storyteller, and the book includes a humorous story or two of his. The program became a haven for walk-ons under Osborne, and the book includes an all-walk-on team. Cornhusker football was king long ago. And this book offers insight into that past glory, achieved by the likes of "Jumbo" Stiehm, Ed Weir, and Guy Chamberlin.All-American Trev Albert, the Butkus Award winner in 1993, has expressed the meaning of Cornhusker football in the introduction, which is an integral part of the book's experience. Reading Go Big Red isn't the same as sitting in Memorial Stadium, awash in red on game day. But it's the next best thing.
The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order
by Michael J. Casey Paul VignaAn in-depth explanation of how bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies work, their potential for good and bad, and how this is likely to affect you as a citizen, government, business, and global geopolitics.Bitcoin became a buzzword overnight. A cyber-enigma with an enthusiastic following, it pops up in headlines and fuels endless media debate. You can apparently use it to buy almost anything from coffee to cars, yet few people seem to truly understand what it is. This raises the question: Why should anyone care about Bitcoin? In THE AGE OF CRYPTOCURRENCY, Wall Street journalists Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey deliver the definitive answer to this question. Cybermoney is poised to launch a revolution, one that could entirely re-invent traditional financial and social structures while bringing the world's billions of "unbanked" individuals into a new global economy. Cryptocurrency represents the promise of a financial system without a middleman, one owned by the people who use it and one safeguarded from the devastation of a 2008-type crash. But bitcoin, the most famous of the cybermonies, brings with it a reputation for instability, wild fluctuation, and illicit business; some fear it has the power to eliminate jobs and to upend the concept of a nation-state. It implies, above all, monumental and wide-reaching change—for better and for worse. But it is here to stay, and you ignore it at your peril.Vigna and Casey demystify the concept of cryptocurrency, detailing its origins, its function, and what you need to know to navigate a cyber-economy. The digital currency world will look very different from the paper currency world; THE AGE OF CRYPTOCURRENCY will teach you how to be ready for it.
Because the Rain: A Novel
by Daniel Buckman"A new Hemingway" (San Francisco Chronicle) weaves together the stories of two men and the Vietnamese call girl who unites them. Set on the rain-slicked streets of Chicago, critically acclaimed author Daniel Buckman explores the unfocused longing and unfulfilled expectations of two men balanced precariously on the edge.Mike Spence is an unsatisfied writer with nothing left to write about. He lives in Chicago with his wife and an enormous burden of unrealized expectations hanging over his head. To escape he concocts elaborate fantasies about travel and career and how his life will be different once he gets this job, takes that vacation, marries a different girl. He ends each evening staring out his darkened window and into the apartment of a beautiful Vietnamese girl who lives in the two-flat across the street.Donald Goetzler is a Vietnam Vet who made it through, spent the last thirty years of his life riding a desk at Weber Industrial Supply, and is now retiring with a bad Mexican buffet and a gold Rolex. He's got nothing to look forward to but his weekly session with the Vietnamese call girl who takes him back through his memories of when he was young and his life was real.As the two men construct their elaborate fantasy worlds around the same woman, these three souls are unaware of the shocking and explosive consequences that the intersection of their lives will bring In a beautifully crafted novel, Daniel Buckman demonstrates the prodigious talent that informs repeated comparisons to Hemingway, Faulkner, Mailer, and O'Brien, and once again tantalizes with the possibility that his name will one day be etched in American literature alongside the masters..
Sex & the Married Girl: From Clicking to Climaxing—the Complete Truth About Modern Marriage
by Mandi NorwoodThe marriage revolution is at hand-it's going on right now, led by straight-shooting, brutally honest gloves-off contemporary Married Girls. With her fifteen years of experience at top women's magazines, Mandi Norwood speaks to this new generation of married women who crave independence and adventure just as much as they crave commitment. Like a great girls' night out, this smart, sexy, candid guide reveals married girls most intimate confessions from over one hundred in-depth interviews. So what makes today's Married Girls's marriage different from her mother's marriage?Sometimes hilarious, often tender, and always empowering, Mandi Norwood delivers from-the-heart, savvy, and practical advice about every aspect of modern marriage from power, controlling money, omigod-the-mother-in-law, to brazen behavior in bed.
Trumped: Think Like a Bazillionaire
by John BoswellDear Reader:CONGRATULATIONS!You have just picked up the best book ever written, by the greatest person who ever lived, using the finest pen ever made, set down on the world's most luxurious legal pads. And the advice I have to share with you in Trumped: Think Like a Bizillionaire is worth even more than the paper it's printed on. You'll learn the most important ways to get ahead, the best financial advice I've ever received, and the nastiest ways to get even.I'll even share with you some of my most intimate secrets, like what I eat for breakfast, how my hair stays up, and what really happened between me and Marla.I'm sure you will find this the greatest, most informative, best spelled book you have ever read. But if you don't, I strongly suggest you read it again. Sincerestly,Donald J. Trumped
Sweet Maria's Italian Cookie Tray: A Cookbook (Sweet Maria)
by Maria Bruscino SanchezSweet Maria's Italian Cookie Tray presents sixty-five recipes for the delicious, festive cookies that brighten every Italian home, at the holidays and all year-round.Maria Bruscino Sanchez opened Sweet Maria's bakery when she was just twenty-six years old, specializing in authentic Italian cookies and cakes made from handed-down family recipes. The result has been a booming business, and this very special cookbook.The irresistible reciples range from drop, molded and filled cookies; biscotti; taralle and biscuits; pizelles, and more. Easy to prepare and perfect for any occasion (or no occasion at all) they include:Chocolate Almond Macaroons, Pignoli Nut Cookies, Amaretto Biscotti Sesame Cookies, Almond Crescents, Lemon Drop Cookies, Chocolate Puffs, Florentines, Lady Fingers, Sweet Ravioli Cookies, Christmas Honey Clusters, Angel Wings, Cinnamon Nut Bars, and more.Whether you grew up in an Italian home or just wish you did, this wonderful collection is sure to become a cookie lover's favorite--one you will return to again and again.
Paris, Baby!: An American Girl's Real-Life Adventures Having a Baby in the City of Lights
by Kirsten LobeIs it possible to maintain chic as a single-mom-to-be in a city where it's all supposed to be effortless and breastfeeding is a horreur? Does one live by the Parisienne's pregnancy plan of smoking, drinking, and cheese-eating avec vin blanc, but jamais jamais gain more than six kilos? And how to handle a pickup attempt by a married man in the baby department of Bon Marché when you're eight months along? After all, American girls do things differently: Lamaze class and baby showers, sensible prenatal care and…family to watch you proudly grow more and more pregnant.Paris is full of delights for a new mom: the Luxembourg Gardens, baby boutiques too precious to be passed by, a petit brioche for a teething tot. But home exerts a powerful pull. Should your child grow up skipping by the Seine or scampering up a tree house? Should it be "Mommy" or "Maman"? And can a tall blonde with a taste for Veuve Cliquot and Vuitton ever make it in the land of mom jeans and Happy Meals?Paris, Baby! is novelist Kirsten Lobe's warm, funny memoir about Paris, Frenchmen, friendship, babies, and making it on one's own.
Kingdom of the Seven: A Novel (The Blaine McCracken Novels)
by Jon LandDr. Karen Raymond has made the medical breakthrough of the century, a vaccine that could halt the spread of our most devastating modern plague, AIDS. But when her laboratory is destroyed and her colleagues murdered, she realized she's in danger: a conspiracy of proportions she never dreamed possible is out to crush her work.In another part of the country the population of an entire town has disappeared into thin air, leaving behind only half-finished meals, empty offices and schools.Who is responsible? A cabal of power-seeking corporations? Rogue victims of Army medical experiments gone horribly wrong? Who is behind the traitorous plot that threatens to sacrifice our country to the Kingdom of the Seven?At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Design Your Life: The Pleasures and Perils of Everyday Things
by Ellen Lupton Julia LuptonDesign Your Life is a series of irreverent and realistic snapshots about objects and how we interact with them. By leading design thinker Ellen Lupton and her twin sister Julia Lupton, it shows how design is about much more than what's bought at high-end stores or the modern look at IKEA. Design is critical thinking: a way to look at the world and wonder why things work, and why they don't. Illustrated with original paintings of objects both ordinary and odd, Design Your Life casts a sharp eye on everything from roller bags, bras, toilet paper, and stuffed animals to parenting, piles, porches, and potted plants. Using humor and insight Ellen and Julia explore the practical side of everyday design, looking at how it impacts your life in unexpected ways and what you can do about it. Speaking to the popular interest in design as well as people's desire to make their own way through a mass-produced world, this thoughtful book takes a fresh and humorous approach to make some serious points about the impact of design on our lives.Find out what's wrong with the bras, pillows, potted plants, and the other hopeless stuff you use, buy, clean, water, or put away everyday. Discover how to secretly control the actions of those around you by choosing and placing objects carefully. Find out how roller bags are threatening civilization, and how the layout of your own house might be making you miserable. Use the tools of self-publishing to take the power of branding into your own hands. Taking a fresh, funny look at parenthood, housekeeping, entertaining, time management, crafting, and more, Design Your Life shows you how to evaluate the things you use, and how to recognize forms of order that secretly inhabit the messes of daily life, be it a cluttered room or a busy schedule. Use this book to gain control over your environment and tap into the power of design to communicate with friends, family, and the world.
Death to the Dictator!: A Young Man Casts a Vote in Iran's 2009 Election and Pays a Devastating Price
by Afsaneh MoqadamTehran, June 12, 2009. Mohsen Abbaspour, an ordinary young man in his twenties—not particularly political, or ambitious, or worldly—casts the first vote of his life in Iran's tenth presidential election. Fed up with rising unemployment and inflation, he backs the reformist party and its candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Mohsen believes his vote will count.It will not. Almost the instant the polls close, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will declare himself president by an overwhelming majority. And as the Western world scrambles to make sense of the brazenly fraudulent election, Mohsen, along with his friends and family and neighbors, will experience a sense of utter desolation, and then something else: an increasingly sharper feeling—the beginning of anger. In a matter of weeks, millions of Iranians will flow into the streets, chanting in protest, "Death to the dictator!" Mohsen Abbaspour will be swept up in an uncontrollable and ultimately devastating chain of events.Like Philip Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families and Ryszard Kapuscinski's incisive reportage, Death to the Dictator! stuns readers with its heartbreaking immediacy. Our pseudonymous author was a keen eyewitness in Tehran during the summer of 2009 and beyond. In this brave and true book, we see what we are not supposed to see, and learn what we are not supposed to know.
Free Money From Colleges and Universities
by Laurie BlumAlmost every college and university offers scholarships in a wide variety of disciplines, yet many students are not aware that these scholarships exist. In Free Money from Colleges and Universities, Laurie Blum not only directs you to scholarship sources but also tells you how to navigate the bureaucratic maze of institutional departments and family foundations.
Sew Fast Sew Easy: All You Need to Know When You Start to Sew
by Elissa K. MeyrichIncludes three ready-to-use patternsReinvent Sewing for the Twenty-first Century!"Where did you get your skirt?"Ever want to create your own designer-look fashions? Develop unique accessories or home decor? Even if you've never held a needle or used a sewing machine, Sew Fast Sew Easy is all you need. With three simple patterns and easy-to-follow instructions, you can put your own stamp on fashion and step out in style--yours!You'll learn:- Tips and techniques from a fashion industry insider- How to use your sewing machine to express your creativity - How to custom-fit commercial patterns for that sexy look- All about the latest fabrics and the best ways to use them Plus a glossary of sewing terms makes quick reference easy.So don't wait. Use the ideas and simple how-to instructions in this book, and everyone will want to know the secret source for your fabulous clothes and accessories!
The Divinity of Sex: The Search For Ecstacy In A Secular Age
by Charles PickstoneOverviewIn this fascinating new inquiry into contemporary culture, Charles Pickstone, a priest, argues that the pervasiveness of sex in our society mirrors religion's former glory. Indeed, according to Pickstone, sex has usurped religion's position on the spiritual pedestal. In this time of increasing secularization, our traditional views of sex have fallen by the wayside. The religious right bemoans our so-called hedonism as a retreat from religion and values. Yet Pickstone challenges the belief that we have lost our spirituality and have become a world of lost souls damned for eternity. His book provides a sober and lucid response to our concerns about where our society is headed. Pickstone clearly demonstrates how we often describe sex in metaphors of natural, and even supernatural phenomena: The earth moves, oceans swell, and storms rage. Moreover, Pickstone argues, we find in both sexual and religious passion the same transcendence of self that constitutes a spiritual experience. Barriers break down as we are transported to another reality of ecstasy and heightened experience.