Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known. But it is the American commander-in-chief...

On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive. This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation...

Chronicles the military leadership of President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, his strategic insight, and how he often overstepped the boundaries of his political office to assume the role of commander in chief, ultimately changing the course of the war and saving the Union.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard graduate Tracy Kidder discusses the 1994 civil war and genocide which took place in Burundi and Rwanda.

Captain Richard Phillips describes his experiences when Somali pirates boarded his cargo ship, the "Maersk Alabama," and offered himself as a hostage to safeguard the lives of his crew, detailing the five days he spent captive and the efforts of U.S. Navy SEALs to rescue him.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro...

Linda Greenlaw hadn't been blue-water fishing for ten years, since the great events chronicled in The Perfect Storm and The Hungry Ocean, when an old friend offered her the captaincy on his boat, Seahawk, for a season of swordfishing. She took the bait, of course, and thus opened a new chapter in a life that had already seen enough adventure for three lifetimes. The Seahawk turns out to be the rustiest of buckets, with sprung, busted, and ancient...

In "Washington : a Life" celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation, dashing forever the stereotype of a stolid, unemotional man, and revealing an astute and surprising portrait of a canny political genius who knew how to inspire people.

"Drawing from a lifetime of lessons learned, seven-time Emmy winner Betty White's wit and wisdom take center stage as she tackles topics like friendship, romantic love, aging, television, fans, love for animals, and the brave new world of celebrity. If You Ask Me mixes her thoughtful observations with humorous stories from a seven- decade career in Hollywood"--Publisher's description.

Annawadi is a settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and as India starts to prosper, Annawadians are filled with hope. Abdul, a reflective and enterprising Muslim teenager, sees "a fortune beyond counting" in the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away. But then Abdul is falsely accused in a shocking tragedy; terror and a global recession rock the city; and suppressed tensions over religion, caste, sex, power and...