Books Reviews - Page 21

World War II was a not just a colossal battle that left its jagged scars around the globe, it was also a high-stakes mind game in which the world’s most powerful leaders grappled to gain the upper hand. Using personal journal entries, public statements and memoirs, Warloads intriguingly takes you inside the war from the different perspectives—and individual motives—of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler as they each spin their strategic webs.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Before they were snatched up by Ohio State University last fall, 7-foot-tall center Greg Oden and point guard Mike Conley powered Indiana’s Lawrence North High School to three straight state titles and an almost unimaginable four-year record of 103 wins and only seven losses. This tale of these two amazing young athletes and how they got to the top of the game takes you on a stirring ride that conveys both the Hoosier passion for hoops and the thrilling synergy of an exceptional championship team in a state where basketball is king.

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Whenever life starts getting you down, just flip open this little instant pick-me-upper, full of nothing but color photos of adorable puppies, fuzzy kittens, pink piglets, nuzzling deer, cozy bears, cuddly koalas, delightful monkeys and hundreds of other irresistibly cute creatures that will put a glow to even the gloomiest of days.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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The belief that Earth might have a mysterious, cavernous “underworld” has for thousands of years been a colorful thread in civilization’s tangled tapestry of folklore, mythology, pseuso-science, pop culture and religion. This lively look at just how pervasively such a wild belief has endured makes for an entertaining, engrossing trip far below the surface of an idea that continues to burrow deep into the imagination.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Loaded with hundreds of archival photos of just about every cowboy miscreant and gunslinging avenger you can imagine (and some you’ve probably never heard of), this coffee-table book is a well-researched dive into a gritty time when America was indeed a more rugged place and “trigger-happy” usually meant real trouble. Additional detailed color photos of weapons and other accessories of the day add to the feel of history coming alive as you turn each page. Gunfighters almost makes you taste the dust.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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For centuries, humans have carved in stone to commemorate achievements, honor leaders and remember horrendous moments in history so they might never be repeated. America is rich in such monuments, and writer Cooney (with photographer Carol Highsmith) movingly spotlights 50 of them, which chronicle our nation’s colorful, sometimes turbulent past and hold to the ideals on which our country was built.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Waterman, editor of American Songwriter magazine, compiles insightful, in-depth Q&A interviews with 100 different singer/songwriters from various genres—including Ray Charles, Ben Folds, Kenny Chesney, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Burt Bacharach, John Denver, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson—to peel back the layers of creativity, craft and commerce wrapped around nearly five decades of memorable music.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Culled from seven previous volumes and including 150 all-new pages, this mind-boggling collection of easily digestible nuggets of entertainment, history, humor, science and pop culture offers something for every imaginable taste—and all short enough to read during a typical trip to the bathroom. Uncle John (“john” as in toilet—get it?) won’t make you an expert on anything, but he’ll ensure you become a font of fun factoids.
- Neil Pond, American Profile

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Originally published as a hardcover coffee-table book in 2004, this newly revised, oversized paperback edition is loaded with 2,083 classic black-and-white renderings from the pages of The New Yorker magazine, which has chronicled American life, politics and entertainment since 1925. An enclosed DVD has—get ready—some 68,000 more, making this a comprehensive collection of every cartoon published in the magazine through February 2006. If you can’t find something to tickle your funny bone here, you probably were born without one.
- Neil Pond, American Profile

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The only book endorsed by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, this handsome updated edition profiles 138 recipients of the prestigious award, the highest decoration bestowed for military heroism. Their individual stories of bravery and valor in combat, accompanied by striking, stately black-and-white contemporary portraits, remind us that freedom continues to carry a high price tag. Includes a bonus DVD and foreword by former President George H. W. Bush.

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