An illuminating study of the American struggle to comprehend the meaning and practicalities of death in the face of the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War. During the war, approximately 620,000 soldiers lost their lives. An equivalent proportion of today's population would be six million. This book explores the impact of this enormous death toll from every angle: material, political, intellectual, and spiritual. Historian Faust delineates the...

With the coming of the Civil War, and the staggering casualties it ushered in, death entered the experience of the American people as it never had before — permanently altering the character of the republic and the psyche of the American people. Contending with death on an unprecedented scale posed challenges for which there were no ready answers when the war began. Americans worked to improvise new solutions, new institutions, and new ways of coping...

"A guide to handling difficult conversations calmly and gracefully. The author shows readers how to defuse verbal attacks, maintain one's composure in stressful situations, and deal with difficult people without becoming one"-- Want to know how to speak up instead of shut down, face challenges head-on instead of run the other way, and keep your cool even when others don't? Talking on Eggshells shows you how. This inspiring book shares everyday character-building...

Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything) takes readers on a tour of his house, a rural English parsonage, showing how each room has figured in the evolution of private life.

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago. Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded,...

"An award-winning psychologist reveals the hidden power of our inner voice and shows how we can harness it to live healthier, more satisfying, and productive lives. Tell a stranger that you talk to yourself, and you're likely to get written off as eccentric. But the truth is that we all have a voice in our head. When we talk to ourselves, we often hope to tap into our inner coach but find our inner critic instead. When we're facing a tough task, our...

Four years after Justin Campbell's disappearance left his family in a state of perpetual denial and sent them to their own personal dream worlds to cope with the loss, Justin's return and the aftermath of the horrors he endured shake him and his family to their very core as they struggle to find the happy ending they all thought Justin's return might give them.

In this illuminating book, Witold Rybczynski walks us through five centuries of homes both great and small, from the smoke-filled manor halls of the Middle Ages to the Ralph Lauren–designed environments of today. On a house tour like no other—one that delightfully explicates the very idea of "home"—you'll see how social and cultural changes influenced styles of decoration and furnishing, learn the connection between wall-hung

...

Louv talks with parents, children, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, child-development researchers, and environmentalists to find ways for children to experience the natural world more deeply.