HarperAcademic

High School Summer Reading 2012-2013

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:23:00 +0000

High schools have started to post their summer reading lists. Many high schools require their students to read at least one book over the summer. Others ask students to choose several from a long list of titles. Others require a specific book for different grades. Some encourage their students to visit their school and public libraries. Others hold book fairs, sell through their own bookstore, fill orders through a bookstore, or suggest that their students buy their summer reading from an online retailer.This year, we spotted a few schools that are sending their students to a store at Amazon dedicated to their school’s summer reading.

A growing trend is high schools that require all their students to participate in a One Book/One School program. For instance, this summer, the 1400 students attending West Chester East High School (Pennsylvania) will read The Art of Racing in the Rain. Parents and others in the community are encouraged to the read the book as well.

This is the time of year when Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor—a favorite of AP English teachers—makes its annual run up the bestseller list. In addition to the usual classics (Our Town, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Great Gatsby, Black Boy, Brave New World, The Bell Jar, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Native Son, On Writing Well, The Awakening, Rebecca, To Kill a Mockingbird, Agatha Christie) many contemporary titles show up on these lists: The Bean Trees, Alive, The Alchemist, The Glass Castle, Crazy for the Storm, First They Killed My Father, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Matched, The Pact, The Hunger Games, Pirate Latitudes, The Life of Pi, My Sister's Keeper, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Freakonomics, The Things They Carried, and Everything Is Illuminated. C.S. Lewis continues to be required at private religious schools. It’s wonderful to see Little Princes by Conor Grennan on so many of these lists.

The major trend appears to be away from the more challenging and often classic books to more contemporary and popular titles.

We’re the academic marketing department so we can’t get enough of this stuff, and we hope you’ll enjoy looking at these lists and find them as helpful and interesting as we do:

Oconee County High School (Georgia): How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Lookout Valley High – Middle School (Tennessee): Their Eyes Were Watching God

Blount High School (Alabama): Native Son, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

University Titans High School (Florida): Death Be Not Proud

Unionville High School (Pennsylvania): Crazy for the Storm, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Brave New World, The Alchemist, The Bean Trees, Their Eyes Were Watching God, First They Killed My Father, and The Awakening

O’Fallon Township High School (Illinois): State of Wonder, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Little Princes, American Sniper, Through My Eyes, and How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Voyager Academy High School (North Carolina): The Alchemist, Zorro, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Autobiography of a Face, The Bell Jar, and Something Wicked This Way Comes

Sparkman High School (Alabama): The Pact and How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Northwest ISD (Texas): Their Eyes Were Watching God

Bob Jones High School (Alabama): How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Alive, And Then There Were None, and Their Eyes Were Watching God

Wayne Valley High School (New Jersey): Rebecca, Black Boy, Poisonwood Bible, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and One Hundred Years of Solitude

Royal Palm Beach High School (Florida): Native Son, Alas, Babylon, Poisonwood Bible, Pirate Latitudes, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Brave New World, and Murder on the Orient Express

Phoenixville Area High School (Pennsylvania): Dandelion Wine, Illustrated Man, Rebecca, The Beet Queen, Animal Dreams, The Bean Trees, The Screwtape Letters, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Continental Drift, The Martian Chronicles, Tracks, How Soccer Explains the World, Everything Is Illuminated, Prodigal Summer, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, Freakonomics, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Bel Canto, Cryptonomicon, and The Professor and the Madman

Kellenberg Memorial High School (New York): Death Be Not Proud and Brave New World

Bourne High School (Massachusetts): A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and A Prayer for Owen Meany

Lafayette High School (Kentucky): Wicked, The Bell Jar, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and Everything is Illuminated

University School of Nashville (Tennessee): The Martian Chronicles, Prey, Rebecca, Death Be Not Proud, A Walk Across America, The Bean Trees, and Black Boy

DuPont Manual High School (Kentucky): Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and Freakonomics

Batavia High School (Ohio): The Alchemist and Freakonomics

Vernon Hills High School (Illinois): The Bell Jar, Black Boy, Brave New World, The Dispossessed, Everything is Illuminated, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and A People’s History of the United States

We’re always updating our catalogs—and our new High School Summer Reading catalog is now available!

What will your students read this summer?

Now In Paperback. STATE OF WONDER: A NOVEL by Ann Patchett

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:44:00 +0000

State of Wonder: A Novel by Ann Patchett is now in paperback: a tale of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice set in the Amazonian jungle—it is both a gripping adventure and a profound look at the difficult choices made in the name of discovery and love.

Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have all but disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be an extremely valuable new drug, the development of which has already cost the company a fortune. Nothing about Marina's assignment is easy: not only does no one know where Dr. Swenson is, but the last person who was sent to find her, Marina's research partner Anders Eckman, died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding her former mentor as well as answers to several troubling questions about her friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past.

Once found, Dr. Swenson, now in her seventies, is as ruthless and uncompromising as she ever was back in the days of Grand Rounds at Johns Hopkins. With a combination of science and subterfuge, she dominates her research team and the natives she is studying with the force of an imperial ruler. But while she is as threatening as anything the jungle has to offer, the greatest sacrifices to be made are the ones Dr. Swenson asks of herself, and will ultimately ask of Marina, who finds she may still be unable to live up to her teacher's expectations.

In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, and a neighboring tribe of cannibals, State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss.

Praise for State of Wonder:

“An engaging, consummately told tale.”—New York Times

“Emotionally lucid. . . . Patchett is at her lyrical best when she catalogues the jungle.”— The New Yorker

“Is there nothing the prodigiously talented Ann Patchett can’t do?. . . . Patchett’s last knockout pages proceed full-speed ahead, with more twists and turns and treachery than the Amazon River. Nothing is as it seems, and the ending is as shocking as it’s satisfying. . . . [State of Wonder is] extraordinary.”—Boston Globe

“The Amazon setting is something Patchett does rather marvelously. . . . The book is serious, but also so pleasurable that you hope it won't end.”—NPR

“Her best novel. . . . These pages have a pulsing, seductive rhythm. . . . The wonder of State of Wonder is that Patchett poses essential philosophical and bioethical arguments in a story that still speeds along like a literary thriller, reaching a tremendous, deeply emotional crescendo. Bella scrittura.”—Time magazine

And That's The Way He Was: CRONKITE by Douglas Brinkley

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:37:00 +0000

For decades, Walter Cronkite (1916-2009) was known as “the most trusted man in America.” Millions across the nation welcomed him into their homes each evening, first as a reporter from the frontlines of World War II, then later, in the emerging medium of television, where he hosted numerous documentary programs and anchored the CBS Evening News until his retirement in 1981. Yet this very public figure, undoubtedly the 20th-century’s most revered journalist, was a remarkably private man; few know the full story of his life. Based on access to Cronkite’s private papers as well as interviews with his family and friends, in Cronkite, Douglas Brinkley, a professor of history at Rice University, shines the spotlight on this American icon that will be of interest to students of journalism and mass media, as well as aficionados of masterful biography.

Brinkley traces Cronkite’s story from his roots in Missouri and Texas, through the Great Depression during which he began his career, to World War II, where he gained notice reporting with Allied troops from North Africa, D-Day, and the Battle of the Bulge. In 1950, Edward R. Murrow recruited him to work for CBS as both a reporter and later anchor of the evening news. Cronkite was also witness to—and the nation’s voice for—many of the most profound moments in modern American history, including the assassination of John F. Kennedy (see video below), the NASA space missions of Apollo 11 and 13, the Watergate break-in scandal, the Vietnam War, and the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Praise for Cronkite:

“Douglas Brinkley’s absorbing and well-researched book recaptures the high solstice of American television journalism and the man who most exemplified that moment. It also illuminates, behind the scenes, a Walter Cronkite that millions of Americans thought they knew, but, as Brinkley’s book now shows us, didn’t.”—Michael Beschloss

“Walter Cronkite exemplified the glorious age of trusted journalism, and rightfully so. He was a sensible and decent man. In this deeply researched and brilliantly analytic biography, Douglas Brinkley captures his essence. He treats Cronkite as not just an icon, but as a real human with passions, loves, and occasional enmities. It’s a fascinating and valuable tale.”—Walter Isaacson

“This sweeping narrative of Walter Cronkite’s life is irresistibly told, beautifully written, and deeply researched. It is hard to imagine a better match for ‘the most trusted man in America’ than Douglas Brinkley, who has produced one trustworthy biography after another, each one commanding widespread respect and admiration. And this is one of the very best.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin

Lynda and Area Madaras' "What's Happening to My Body" Series: Comforting Guides in a Time of Change

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:04:00 +0000

Our contest has ended, thank you for entering! Be sure to check back for more giveaways!

When Newmarket Press joined the HarperCollins team, they brought along with them an impressive list of titles. One series which we in academic marketing were very excited about is the “What’s Happening to My Body?” list by Lynda Madaras. With over 25 years of experience teaching puberty and health education, Lynda Madaras’ 12 titles have been priceless resources for countless scores of health teachers, parents, and children.

To mark these new books joining as an addition to the HarperCollins list, we are going to give away a starter pack of several key titles from Lynda Madaras and her daughter Area. Fill out the form below to be entered to win! The pack will include:

1 Copy: The What’s Happening to My Body Book for Boys by Lynda Madaras with Area Madaras
1 Copy: On Your Mark, Get Set, Grow!: A “What’s Happening to My Body?” Book for Younger Boys by Lynda Madaras
2 Copies: Ready, Set, Grow!: A “What’s Happening to My Body?” Book for Younger Girls by Lynda Madaras
1 Copy: My Body, My Self: For Girls by Lynda Madaras & Area Madaras
2 Copies: My Body, My Self: For Boys by Lynda Madaras & Area Madaras
1 Copy: My Feelings, My Self: A Journal for Girls by Lynda Madaras & Area Madaras
2 Copies: ¿Qué Pasa en Mi Cuerpo?: El Libro Para Muchachas (Spanish Language version of What’s Happening to My Body: A Book for Girls) by Lynda Madaras with Area Madaras

To enter to win this pack of titles, fill out the form below. Valid for U.S. residents only. Forms must be submitted by Tuesday, May 15. Winner will be randomly selected. You will be contacted only if you are the winner.

Also, stay tuned! We'll soon be releasing our "Health and Sex Eduation" digital catalog, featuring the Madaras books and more!

The Ones Who Ushered In An Era. VICTORY: THE TRIUMPHANT GAY REVOLUTION by Linda Hirshman

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:57:00 +0000

Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution is the story of how a band of extraordinary individuals brought on a sea change that, in just more than forty years, has transformed American cultural and political life. Drawing on archival material and in-depth interviews with nearly 200 movers and shakers of the gay rights movement, author Linda Hirshman, who has taught Philosophy and Women’s Studies at Brandeis University with a specialization in the study of social movements, persuasively chronicles a revolution that was—and continues to be—a battle of citizens struggling to define themselves and take their rightful place in society. Hirshman illustrates how the fight for gay rights has revamped the American landscape for all citizens—regardless of sexuality—blurring rigid gender lines, altering the shared culture, and broadening the definition of what a family is.

Praise for Victory:

“Linda Hirshman's Victory is the chronicle that the brilliant, unremitting gay movement deserves. Deeply informed with human detail, political theory, and legal analysis alike, it moves fluidly out of the closet to the precincts--Washington, the Pentagon, the courts, the laboratories--where the world has been changed, changed utterly. A genuine, sparkling tour de force.”—Todd Gitlin, author of Occupy Nation

“Linda Hirshman is at her fiery best as she weaves her controversial argument about how the gay rights movement succeeded where others stalled. A compulsively readable mix of philosophy, social history and journalism, Hirshman provides an invaluable understanding of the people across the years who have worked so passionately to increase liberty and justice in our union.”—Rebecca Traister, author of Big Girls Don't Cry

“An astonishing work that seamlessly weaves together multiple stories into one authoritative volume. Highly recommended for political scientists, civil rights activists, and students of LGBT history.”—Mark Manivong, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Library Journal, starred review)

Bowling Green State University's Common Read: Tori Murden McClure's A PEARL IN THE STORM

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Bowling Green State University's class of 2016 will start their college adventure this summer by reading Tori Murden McClure's captivating and inspirational memoir A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean.

This story is not a memoir about great successes—of which Ms. McClure has many. Instead, the bulk of her inspiring story focuses on her first failed attempt to row across the Atlantic Ocean alone. After being rescued from the middle of the worst hurricane season in the North Atlantic, McClure must deal with the self-imposed disgrace tied to her failed attempt. She is forced to embrace her own vulnerability.

To get a sense for what the conditions were like on her first attempt, I invite you to view the emotional video below:

After meeting Muhammad Ali—and being told that she does not want to be known as the woman who “almost” rowed across the Atlantic Ocean—she decides to shake off the weight of failure and attempt her great feat again. With her characteristic wry sense of humor, she explores her interaction with failure—and how she responded and ultimately overcame it.

The common reading committee at Bowling Green State University perhaps puts this book into context best, noting that "A Pearl in the Storm is not only about McClure's trips across the Atlantic but also about her path to knowing herself—and about the kinds of battles that all humans deal with during their lifetimes."
If you haven't had a chance to read A Pearl in the Storm yet, now's your chance; dive in with the book's "Browse Inside!"

Another Common Reading Pick for Conor Grennan and LITTLE PRINCES

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:08:00 +0000

We were delighted to learn that the entire incoming class of 2016 at San Jose State University will be reading, discussing, and engaging with Conor Grennan's Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal! Last year, students at St. Bonaventure University were empowered by Conor's story—and thrilled by his campus visit. This year, San Jose State University joins other institutions such as Central College, Michigan Technical University, Wingate University, and Otterbein College in choosing Little Princes.

Little Princes is the story of Conor Grennan’s epic battle to save the lost children of war-torn Nepal and how he found himself in the process. Grennan’s heartfelt narrative describes how a three-month volunteering experience changed his life forever. After coming to the shocking realization that most of the parents of the children at the Little Princes Orphanage were still alive, Grennan became determined to reunite the would-be orphans with parents who thought them long dead. At times an inspirational memoir, adventure tale, and love story, Little Princes is a real-life example of how great a difference one person can make in the world.

Have you and your students had a chance to read this powerful story yet? If not, get started now!

RADIOACTIVE by Lauren Redniss: University of Wisconsin, Madison's 2012-2013 Common Read!

noreply@blogger.com (HarperAcademic) — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:07:00 +0000

The University of Wisconsin, Madison has announced its pick for the 2012 Common Reading Program: Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss. This highly visual book depicts the Curies’ discovery of radioactive power.

The name Marie Curie is enshrined in every schoolchild’s mind as one of the earliest and most inspirational female pioneers in the history of science. Yet the rich, vivid, and romantic story of Marya Salome Sklodwska—the young Polish national who discovered radioactivity—has been lost to time, until now.

Lauren Redniss, a newly named Guggenheim Fellow, walks students through the story of Curie’s own life, which was marked by both extraordinary scientific discovery and dramatic personal trauma; from her romantic partnership with Pierre, through his tragic decline from radium poisoning and death in a traffic accident, to the scandalous affair with another fellow scientist that almost cost her a second Nobel Prize. Drawing on her original archival research in Europe and the United States, and a host of new interviews with Curie family members and scientists who carry on the Curie tradition, Redniss has created a fascinating and deeply moving book—as well as a unique work of art.

Redniss uses stellar writing and captivating art to encapsulate the complexity of the intersections between science, history, and biography. The images throughout the book were developed using a technique called "Cyanotype." It's a smart and beautiful choice that will get students and faculty reading and talking! The best way to get a feel for this innovative work is to see it; we invite you to preview Radioactive by visiting our “browse inside.”

Praise for Radioactive:

“Radioactive is quite unlike any book I have ever read—part history, part love story, part art work and all parts sheer imaginative genius.”
— Malcolm Gladwell

“Absolutely dazzling. Lauren Redniss has created a book that is both vibrant history and a work of art. Like radium itself, Radioactive glows with energy.”
— Richard Rhodes, author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

Listen to Kenneth C. Davis on "The Takeaway"

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Kenneth C. Davis, author of Don't Know Much About History, Anniversary Edition, has begun to do a series of segments for the nationally syndicated public radio show The Takeaway on the historical framework of presidential elections. You can listen to Davis's first radio spot here.

Galley Giveaway: Marcus Borg's EVOLUTION OF THE WORD

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:20:00 +0000

ALL OF OUR GALLEYS HAVE BEEN GIVEN AWAY! Please visit us again for new giveaways.

With Evolution of the Word Professor Marcus Borg, distinguished theologian and author of bestsellers such as Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, The Heart of Christianity, and Speaking Christian, reintroduces the New Testament books. By organizing the New Testament in the order they were written—rather than the official sequence of the church Bibles, Borg challenges your students to read the bible in an altogether new way.

With introductions and sidebars to each of the books of the Bible, as well as a survey of what we can know about the oral accounts of Jesus that were passed around before the first book was written, Borg reveals how a radical and primative apocalyptic Jewish faith slowly became more comfortable with the world, less Jewish, and more preoccupied with maintaining power and control. Professor Borg’s Evolution of the Word promises to change how students think about this historic work, helping them to rediscover documents they thought they knew well by seeing them in an all-new setting.

Resources for World Autism Awareness Month

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:15:00 +0000

April is World Autism Awareness Month. Recent research indicates a significant increase in autism in the United States with 1 in 88 children diagnosed with autism. What follows are books published by HarperCollins Publishers which are excellent resources for teachers interacting with their autistic students:

The Autism Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping, and Healing—from a Mother Whose Child Recovered by Karen Siff Exkorn

When Karen Siff Exkorn's son Jake was diagnosed with autism, she struggled to pull together comprehensive information about the disorder. Fortunately, she was able to educate herself quickly, and her extensive at-home treatment of her son led to his amazing full recovery. But the journey wasn't easy, and in The Autism Sourcebook Siff Exkorn offers the wisdom she wishes she'd had at the beginning.

The Anti-Romantic Child: A Story of Unexpected Joy by Priscilla Gilman

With an emotionally resonant combination of memoir and literature, Wordsworth scholar Priscilla Gilman recounts in The Anti-Romantic Child the challenges of raising a son with hyperlexia, a developmental disorder neurologically counterpoint to dyslexia. Using Wordsworth's poetry as a touchstone, she speaks intimately of her poignant journey through crisis and disenchantment to a place of peace and resilience.

Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir by Karl Taro Greenfield

Karl Taro Greenfeld knew from an early age that his little brother, Noah, was not like other children. He was unable to communicate verbally or tie his shoes, and despite his angelic demeanor was prone to violent outbursts. No doctor, social worker, or specialist could pinpoint what was wrong with Noah beyond a general diagnosis: autism. Boy Alone is Karl Taro Greenfeld's unforgettable memoir of growing up in Noah's shadow, revealing the complex mix of rage, confusion, and love that defined the author's childhood—a beautiful, haunting, and wholly original exploration of what it means to be a family, a brother, a person.

Raising Blaze: Bringing Up an Extraordinary Son in an Ordinary World by Debra Ginsberg

When you have a child that doesn't fit in, what do you do? Debra Ginsberg knew that her son, Blaze, was unique from the moment he was born. Raising Blaze chronicles Debra's experience in raising a child who has defied definition by the host of professionals who have sought to label his differences, and the redemptive power of faith, humour and love.

Asperger Syndrome and Your Child: A Parent's Guide by Michael D. Powers, PSY.D with Janet Poland

Asperger Syndrome and Your Child is an informative, empathetic, and comprehensive guide to this elusive condition, which answers the most common questions and offers an encouraging outlook for the child dealing with this condition. Dr. Michael D. Powers weaves together a compassionate account of everything related to Asperger Syndrome, offering such practical advice from getting the right diagnosis to helping a child develop social skills. Infused with voices of real children who offer insights about their own conditions, the book gives perspective on how children live with the disorder.

THE STRATEGIST by Cynthia Montgomery

noreply@blogger.com (Diane) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:46:00 +0000

“Are you a strategist?” That's the first question Cynthia Montgomery asks the business owners and senior executives from all over the world who participate in her highly regarded executive education course at Harvard Business School. It's not a question they anticipate or care much about on opening day. But by the time the program ends, they cannot imagine leading their companies to success without being—and living the role of—a strategist.

Now, in The Strategist (9780062071019, hardcover, $27.99), Cynthia Montgomery exposes your students to the invaluable insights she shares with the these privileged executives. By distilling the experiences and insights gleaned in her classroom, Montgomery helps students develop the skills and sensibilities they need to become strategists themselves—and she introduces them to a more dynamic model of strategy that is better grounded and better suited for the competitive realities they will face as managers. She puts them at the center of the process as leaders who must be clear about their companies’ purpose and goals so the day-to-day decisions by people throughout their future businesses will move the company forward.

“Cynthia Montgomery stimulates you as a business leader to be owner, creator, and ongoing steward of your company’s strategy. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book.”
—Dr. Tom Clarke, President of New Business Ventures, Nike, Inc.

Tap Into Your Creative Muse. inGENIUS: A CRASH COURSE ON CREATIVITY by Tina Seelig

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:47:00 +0000

What does it mean to be creative, to use your imagination to its fullest potential, and how can one harness their personal creative muse in order to function successfully in the everyday world? The answers to these questions have been the professional mission of Tina Seelig, who has taught creativity to the best and brightest students and to business leaders around the world. inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity offers a revolutionary new model to inspire creativity—the Innovation Engine—which explains how creativity is generated on the inside and how it is influenced by the outside world. With inGenius Seelig expertly decodes creativity, revealing an approach that your students can use to enhance their own creative genius.

Praise for inGenius:

“Tina Seelig has written a provocative field guide to twenty-first century creativity, with her energy and enthusiasm bursting through on every page. We all could use a little extra spark of creativity, and this book helps show the way.”—Tom Kelley, general manager of IDEO and author of The Art of Innovation

Please pay a visit to Tina Seelig's creativity blog and follow her on Twitter.

Now Available Online: Film Studies Catalog

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:23:00 +0000

Our new Film Studies subject catalog is now available online to help you plan you title adoptions for the fall semester and beyond!

Now updated with the titles of Newmarket Press, our catalog covers all aspects of filmmaking; from the history of film to the process of filmmaking; from the business of film to the writing of the screenplay.

The titles in our catalog will take your students behind the scenes, helping them better understand the inner workings of the film industry from those who know it best.

Titles of interest include:

-Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light by Patrick McGilligan is an exhaustively researched and compellingly written biography of one of the most recognizable figures of the 20th century.

-The Jaws Log is Carl Gottlieb’s classic chronicle on the making of the cinematic phenomenon, drawing from his experiences working on the set with the 26-year-old Steven Spielberg.

-Michael Chekhov’s On the Technique of Acting is a standard text for students of the dramatic arts from one of its well respected masters.

In addition, we have an impressive 70 complete screenplays featured in our catalog—ranging from classics like The Age of Innocence to recent releases such as J. Edgar and The King’s Speech.

When Technology Begets Terrorism. CYBER WAR: THE NEXT THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT by Richard A. Clarke and Robert K. Knake

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Richard A. Clarke has served in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, who appointed him as National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counterterrorism. Clarke has continuously warned America about the havoc terrorism would wreak on our national security, and in Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It, he and coauthor Robert K. Knake, a recent international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, warn of another threat that is silent yet equally dangerous. Cyber War is a powerful book about technology, government, and military strategy; about criminals, spies, soldiers, and hackers. As Clarke notes in his Introduction to Cyber War: “The entire phenomenon of cyber war is shrouded in such government secrecy that it makes the Cold War look like a time of openness and transparency. The biggest secret in the world about cyber war may be that at the very same time the U.S. prepares for offensive cyber war, it is continuing policies that make it impossible to defend the nation from cyber attack.”

Praise for Cyber War:

“Cyber War may be the most important book about national-security policy in the last several years.”—Fred Kaplan, Slate.com

“A harrowing—and persuasive—picture of the cyberthreat the United States faces today.”—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

“Urgent policy prescriptions [wrapped] in easy-to-digest, occasionally riveting, tales from the cyber-front.”—Jeff Stein, Washington Post

“A good introduction to this esoteric but very serious national security problem, and citizens should read it.”—Jack Goldsmith, New Republic

Updates from CCCC!

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:21:00 +0000

Diane has checked in from the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) in St. Louis, MO. The exhibit hall is packed with Composition professors eager to find great books for their students. Among the titles most popular in our booth, educators are drawn to:

How To Write a Sentence: And How to Read One by Stanley Fish; with the paperback edition of this title coming in August, this is a perfect pick for a Fall adoption! Teaching materials are also available here.

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud

The Best American Science Writing 2011, edited by Rebecca Skloot

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog

On Speaking Well by Peggy Noonan

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan.

Here's some pictures of our booth and some browsing professors:

Don’t Know Much About America’s Most Important Book? Kenneth C. Davis on UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Today marks the 160th anniversary of the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Kenneth C. Davis explored the importance of Uncle Tom's Cabin in his book Don't Know Much About the Civil War, and in this blog post he summarizes the magnitude of this American classic, and provides further resources for exploring the work of the author Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Meet the Woman Who Put Achilles on the Bestseller List. THE SONG OF ACHILLES: A NOVEL by Madeline Miller

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:35:00 +0000

We are absolutely delighted in-house that Madeline Miller's debut novel, The Song of Achilles, has just entered the New York Times extended bestseller list for the week of March 25th. The Song of Achilles is a thrilling and unique retelling of the Homer's Iliad and the legend of Achilles: a tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart.

At ten, Patroclus, a small, awkward prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia, to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. The “best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences and the fury of Achilles’s mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals, the boys become steadfast companions, their bond deepening as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine.

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles, little knowing that the cruel Fates will test them as never before, and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Praise for The Song of Achilles:

“The Song of Achilles becomes a quiet love story, one so moving that I was reluctant to move on to the war and Homer’s tale of perverted honor and stubborn pride. But Miller segues into that more public story with grace. Her battle scenes are tense and exciting, as the young, half-divine Achilles comes into his own: Aristos Achaion, greatest of Greeks. By the end of the story, she has matured her characters by another 10 years of warfare. It’s beautifully done.”—Washington Post

“The Song of Achilles is at once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist. Madeline Miller has given us her own fresh take on the Trojan War and its heroes. The result is a book I could not put down.”—Ann Patchett

Would you like to have the opportunity to meet the highly accomplished author Madeline Miller? Miller’s author tour has just launched and continues throughout the year, so be on the lookout for her when she comes to your town.

A list of Madeline Miller’s author appearances can be found here.

Author photo of Madeline Miller by Nina Subin

The "Pastor to Pastors'" Journey to Service: Eugene Peterson's THE PASTOR

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Eugene Peterson’s The Pastor: A Memoir will be available in paperback (ISBN: 9780061988219, $16.99) this September—in time for fall adoption.

Peterson—professor emeritus at Regent College and author of The Message and over thirty other books—shares his journey to becoming a pastor with students of ministry. With great humility and honesty, Eugene Peterson explores the difficulties and challenges he experienced in trying to figure out what the essence of being a pastor is and he captures the heart of this noble calling by stressing the importance of “paying attention and calling attention to ‘what is going on right now’ between men and women, with each other and with God,” rather than the numbers filling the pews every week.

This memoir from “the pastor to pastors” is sure to be a must read for those entering the ministry for years to come. His sound advice will touch your students as he draws comparisons between his own journey and theirs. As Peterson puts it:

“This book is the story of my formation as a pastor,and how the vocation of pastor formed me. I had never planned to be a pastor, never was aware of any inclination to be a pastor, never ‘knew what I was going to be when I grew up.’ And then—at the time it seemed to arrive abruptly—there it was: Pastor. I can’t imagine now not being a pastor. I was a pastor long before I knew I was a pastor; I just never had a name for it. Once the name arrived, all kinds of things, seemingly random experiences and memories, gradually began to take a form that was congruent with who I was becoming, like finding a glove that fit my hand perfectly—a calling, a fusion of all the pieces of my life, a vocation: Pastor. But it took a while.”

Praise for The Pastor:

“If anyone knows how to be a pastor in the contemporary context that person is Eugene Peterson. Eugene possesses the rare combination of a pastor’s heart and a pastor’s art. Take and read!”—Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline

“Eugene Peterson excavates the challenges and mysteries regarding pastors and church and gives me hope for both. This is a must read for every person who is or thinks they are called to be a pastor and for every person who has one.”—William Paul Young, author of The Shack

If you would like to consider The Pastor for fall adoption, please request a complimentary copy of the hardcover edition (9780061988202) by filling out our Promotion Response Form. The first 200 educators to submit their request by the end of March 22, 2012 will receive a complimentary copy.

Live NCSS Webinar with Kenneth C. Davis on March 29th

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:29:00 +0000

The National Council for the Social Studies Community Network is hosting a free, live webinar on Thursday, March 29th from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT with bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis, author of the classic Don't Know Much About History. Davis will present a brief introduction on what excites him in his study of American History, and what he’s learned in twenty years of talking to Americans about what they “need to know about American History.”

“This is not a lecture, but a dialogue,” says Davis, who hopes you will join the session and share your ideas and experiences about what works in the classroom.

Webinar information and registration can be accessed here.

Author photo of Kenneth C. Davis by Nina Subin

Making Sense of Modern Poetry. BEAUTIFUL & POINTLESS: A GUIDE TO MODERN POETRY by David Orr

noreply@blogger.com (Doreen) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:44:00 +0000

A Best Books of 2011 selection

Most students find that mastering the art of contemporary poetry is akin to visiting a foreign country without any knowledge of the language or culture. Because these students have barely visited poetry, let alone lived there, they struggle to enjoy the art for what it is, rather than what they imagine it to be.

Now available in paperback, in Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry, award-winning critic David Orr brings students on a riveting tour of poetry as it actually exists today. Orr argues that students should accept the foreignness of poetry in the way that they accept the strangeness of any place to which they haven’t traveled—they should expect a little confusion, at least at first. Yet in the same way that they can, over time, learn to appreciate the idiosyncratic delights of a new and foreign land, they can learn to be comfortable with the odd pleasures of poetry by building a relationship with it, taking their time, and pursuing what they like.

Beautiful & Pointless provides the foundation for such a relationship by examining the things poets and students talk about when they discuss poetry, such as why poetry seems especially personal and what it means to write “in form.” Orr, by turns acerbic, incisive, hilarious, and keen, is what every poetry student hopes for: the perfect guide who points the way, doesn’t talk too much, and helps them see what you might have missed on their own. Stimulating, amusing, and utterly engrossing, Beautiful & Pointless empowers students to engage poetry as individual readers, allowing them to appreciate it in their own way.

Praise for Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry:

“

Beautiful and Pointless holds a mirror up to the poetry world itself. Orr starts from a brilliantly accurate characterization of what it feels like to read a poem, which should be up on the wall in every high school English classroom.

”—Slate

“David Orr is an authentic iconoclast. His criticism is exuberant and original. . . . He will enhance the perception of his readers.”

—Harold Bloom

“

Beautiful & Pointless is a clear-eyed, opinionated, and idiosyncratic guide to a vibrant but endangered art form, essential reading for anyone who loves poetry, and also for those of us who mostly just admire it from afar.

”—Tom Perrotta

“

David Orr reminds us that poetry is an ancient and living art, a robust American art, and not a commodity or vehicle for self-expression, social betterment, or career enhancement. He argues his case with passion, eloquence, erudition and good sense

—

and, as is his custom, not a little moxie.

”—August Kleinzahler

Now in Paperback: THE DRESSMAKER OF KHAIR KHANA by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

noreply@blogger.com (HarperAcademic) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:57:00 +0000

The New York Times bestseller The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, written by a former reporter for ABC News, provides an intimate look at the daily lives of women in Afghanistan through the incredible true story of a female entrepreneur who mobilized her community under the Taliban.

Ms. Lemmon's The Dressmaker of Khair Khana has already been chosen as a freshman common read at the University of Florida, Gainesville and Berry College.

Diane Fitton of Monroe Community College assigned The Dressmaker of Khair Khana to her composition students—and she has provided teaching materials to help you use the book in your composition class.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is now the Deputy Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program at the Council of Foreign Relations and her colleagues at CFR have created teaching notes for The Dressmaker of Khair Khana that include discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the teaching of the text in such courses as U.S. foreign policy and international affairs, international development strategy, gender equality and globalization, global political economics, and postconflict reconstruction and security.

“The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is pure inspiration. . . it reveals in acute detail the anxiety of ordinary people trying to fold their lives around the whims and laws of abusive regimes.”—Los Angeles Times

The Abduction Case that Changed America

noreply@blogger.com (HarperAcademic) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Before the abduction of Adam Walsh there were no faces on milk cartons, no Amber alerts, no federal databases of crimes against children. Bringing Adam Home is the definite account of this case and its aftermath—revealing the experience of a family determined to find justice and the relentless efforts of a policeman who dedicated himself to this case.

“Bringing Adam Home is a gripping and scrupulously detailed account of what it takes to bring closure to a horrific crime that should not have taken decades to solve. Joe Matthews has put aside all the politics, jealousy and years of mistakes to prove without a doubt the identity of the killer of Adam Walsh. Should be required reading for anyone in law enforcement.”—Chief Thomas Hunker, Bal Harbour (FL) Police Department

New Teaching Resources For SOME WE LOVE, SOME WE HATE, SOME WE EAT!

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:34:00 +0000

Just in time for the annual First-Year Experience Conference in San Antonio this weekend, we’ve just posted teaching resources from one of our Luncheon Speakers, Professor Hal Herzog, for his fascinating Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals.

The packet includes group discussion questions as well as an “Animal Attitude Scale,” which characterizes students’ feelings towards animal welfare. In addition, Professor Herzog maintains a blog, Animals and Us on the Psychology Today website, where he writes about issues surrounding Human–Animal relationships.

If you haven’t had a chance to have explore the perspective-shifting Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, take a look now!

Ron Suskind Explores the Education of the President

noreply@blogger.com (Pat) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Ron Suskind’s Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President will be available in paperback in early June—for adoption in the fall (ISBN: 9780061430466, $16.99).

Suskind, acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, brilliantly explores the nation’s financial meltdown and an untested new president’s task of commanding Washington, taming Wall Street, rescuing an economy on the verge of collapse, and restoring the confidence of a shaken nation.

Confidence Men introduces students to an ensemble cast, from the titans of high finance to a new generation of reformers, from petulant congressmen and acerbic lobbyists to a tight circle of White House advisers—and, ultimately, to the president himself, as you’ve never before seen him. Based on hundreds of interviews and filled with piercing insights and startling disclosures, Confidence Men brings into focus the collusion and conflict between the nation’s two capitals—New York and Washington, one of private gain, the other of public purpose—in defining confidence and, thereby, charting America’s future.

Praise for Confidence Men:

“Savvy and informative. . . . The most ambitious treatment of this period yet. . . . Suskind’s book often reads like Halberstam’s The Best and the Brightest. But the quagmire isn’t a neo-Vietnam like Afghanistan—it’s the economy.”—Frank Rich, New York

“A searing new book. . . . Suskind has a flair for taking material he’s harvested to create narratives with a novelistic sense of drama.”—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

If you would like to consider Confidence Men for fall adoption, please request a complimentary copy of the hardcover edition (9780061429255) by filling out our Promotion Response Form.

And, if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to watch Ron Suskind's captivating interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show below!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Ron Suskind Extended Interview Pt. 1

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Ron Suskind Extended Interview Pt. 2

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes