Things break all the time.Day breaks, waves break, voices break.Promises break.Hearts break.Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting...more
A teenager named Em Gold falls in love with the son of family friends, and her resulting pregnancy turns her happiness to despair. She persuades her boyfriend to shoot her, and he is, predictably, accused of murder. The two families' histories are explored in flashbacks, and the novel ends with a stirring courtroom scene.
Celebrated for her unique empathy with animals, the animal scientist describes how she and other victims of autism perceive the world, and relates the ways in which she has been able to adapt and have a successful career.
Every parent, teacher, social worker, therapist, and physician should have this succinct and informative book in his/her back pocket. Framed with both humor and compassion, the book defines the top ten characteristics that illuminate the minds and hearts of children with autism. Ellen’s personal experiences as a parent, an autism columnist, and a...more
How do we think without thinking, seem to make choices in an instant--in the blink of an eye--that actually aren't as simple as they seem? Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? And why are the best decisions oft...more
If a hungry little traveler shows up at your house, you might want to give him a cookie. If you give him a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim....The consequences of giving a cookie to this energet...more
“A beautiful and majestic fictional panorama.” --John Updike, The New Yorker“Flat-out brilliant. . . . Lush, detailed, vibrantly colored and intense.” –San Francisco Chronicle“A tour de force. . . . Every bit as affecting as it is gripping.” --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times“Luminous. . . . Ato...more
First published in 1957, this novel epitomized to the world the Beat philosophy. It chronicles a spontaneous and wandering life style founded both on jazz and drug-induced visions.
Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical busines...more