Here are some of my favorite books that I either published or have represented:

1. Picture Perfect – Jodi Picoult
2. Mercy – Jodi Picoult
3. Younger Next Year – Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D.
4. Younger Next Year for Women – Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D.
5. After All – Mary Tyler Moore
6. Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds – Ping Fu
7. Environmental Debt: The Hidden Costs Of A Changing Global Economy – Amy Larkin
8. Sea Change: A Message Of The Oceans – Sylvia A. Earle
9. The Third Wave: A Volunteer Story – Alison Thompson
10. Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study – George E. Vaillant
11. Last Night I Dreamed Of Peace – Dang Thuy Tram
12. Hardball: A Season in the Projects – Daniel Coyle
13. Raising Lazarus – Robert Pensack, M.D. and Dwight Willaims
14. Bringing Home The Birkin – Michael Tonelo
15. Rome’s Last Citizen – Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni
16. Power, Privilege, and The Post: The Katherine Graham Story – Carol Felsenthal
17. The Beast: A Reckoning with Depression – Tracy Thompson
18.  The Five Invitations   – Frank Ostaseki
19.  Superman’s Not Coming  Erin Brokovich
20.  Paris Letters- Janie MacLeod
21. The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shapes Silicon Valley by Jimm Soni
22. Wild: The Life of Peter Beard-Photographer, Adventure, Lover  by Graham Boynton

 SOME BOOKS I REPRESENT THAT DESERVE YOUR ATTENTION TO!!

A captivating memoir of trailblazing and firefighting from a pioneering woman in a male-dominated field

When Clare Frank was 17 years old, she became a firefighter in Northern California. Clare was five foot two and officially too young to join the service—she left her birthdate blank on her paperwork, hoping no one would notice. And she didn’t look like her peers, who sported an Adam’s apple and a mustache. But her brother was a firefighter and loved it, so she thought she’d try it out, too. Very soon, she knew she had found her calling.

Burnt is Clare’s inspiring, richly detailed, and open-hearted account of an extraordinary life in fire. It chronicles the transformation of a young adult determined to prove her mettle into a scarred and sensitive veteran, grappling with the weight of her duties as chief of fire protection—one of the highest-ranking women in Cal Fire history—while record-setting fires engulf her home state. Mentors and managing, funerals and scandal, pickup basketball, car crashes, and always fire—no one has written about this world, from this perspective, like Clare Frank. She masterfully mixes irreverence and awe, taking readers inside station houses, on daily calls, and along on wildfire campaigns where antics and dark humor balance terrifying risk, trauma, and a sense of almost holy responsibility. Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire is an unforgettable memoir from an American original.

“Extraordinary. . .a fascinating, boots-on-the-ground account of her storied career as a firefighter. . . . she takes readers behind the scenes in a play-by-play that is as riveting as it is informative. Every bit of “Burnt” is interesting. . .”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Good memoirs can introduce intriguing individuals and provide access to rarefied pursuits. Author Frank manages both in this account of her fiercely independent life and 30-plus years as a firefighter in California . . . The action scenes are compelling; there are hard won victories and excruciating losses, and Frank emerges as a relatable and thoroughly human hero.”–Booklist

“In this evocative account of life in the firehouse, Clare Frank portrays the risks firefighters face and the stakes that are now higher than they’ve ever been. She does so with grit and a healthy sense of humor. A must read”—Erin Brokovich

 “Frank’s writing is vivid and beautiful, and her stories of the structure of firefighting lives will resonate with those who love a great story of passion”—Susan Straight, In the Country of Women

 The definitive biography of photographer Peter Beard, a larger-than-life icon who pushed the boundaries of art and scandalized international high society with his high-profile affairs.

He was the original 20th century “enfant terrible” with the looks of a Greek god who blazed like a comet across the worlds of art, photography, and fame. The scion of several old WASP fortunes, he was by instinct an adventurer, and the more dangerous the escapade, the better: whether he was hunting big game in Africa, ingesting epic quantities of drugs, or pursuing the most beautiful women in the world. Among his friends were Jackie Onassis, Andy Warhol, and Francis Bacon. When Peter Beard died in 2020 after mysteriously disappearing from his Montauk home, he remained an enigma to even his closest friends.

Journalist and author Graham Boynton was a friend for more than 30 years, spending time with Beard at his bush camp in Africa, in London, and at his Long Island home. From hundreds of Boynton’s interviews with Beard’s closest friends, former lovers, and fellow artists comes this intimate portrait of a man Sir Mick Jagger called “a visionary.”

SELECTED ENDORSEMENTS

“A dishy biography…delectable.” –The New York Times

“In this densely researched portrait, Boynton vibrantly captures the mercurial nature of a spectacular, exuberant, insatiable, and committed adventurer, photographer, and artist.” —Booklist

“An engrossing account of an elusive artist.” –Kirkus Reviews

“A riveting portrait of a man of adventure who truly knew no boundaries in life, love and art.” –Tina Brown

“[Boynton] does a masterful job of assembling the facts of Beard’s chaotic life and conveying the volcanic energy of the man, even as he makes a strong case for his achievement as an artist.” –Jay McInerney

“The definitive account of the life of a truly wild man.” –Simon Winchester

“In this magnificent biography Graham Boynton gives us a picture of a life that could have been scripted jointly by Blixen and Hemingway. A brilliantly enjoyable read – a triumph.” –Alexander McCall Smith, bestselling author of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

“Boynton teases out the complexities and contradictions that made this heir of railroad money a fascination to English royals and African guides alike…beautifully written, fast and fun, Wild has colorful characters on every page. The most compelling is Beard himself, pinned to the page in this first account since his most dramatic death.”–Michael Shnayerson, Vanity Fair contributing editor and author of Boom: Mad Money, Mega Dealers, and the Rise of Contemporary Art

Instant Bestseller * New York Times Editors’ Choice *

A gripping account of PayPal’s origins and a vivid portrait of the geeks and contrarians who made its meteoric rise possible” (Wall Street Journal)—including Elon Musk, Amy Rowe Klement, Peter Thiel, Julie Anderson, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, and many others whose stories have never been shared.

Today, PayPal’s founders and earliest employees are considered the technology industry’s most powerful network. Since leaving PayPal, they have formed, funded, and advised the leading companies of our era, including Tesla, Facebook, YouTube, SpaceX, Yelp, Palantir, and LinkedIn, among many others. As a group, they have driven twenty-first-century innovation and entrepreneurship. Their names stir passions; they’re as controversial as they are admired. Yet for all their influence, the story of where they first started has gone largely untold. In The Founders Jimmy Soni explores PayPal’s turbulent early days. With hundreds of interviews and unprecedented access to thousands of pages of internal material, he shows how the seeds of so much of what shapes our world today—fast-scaling digital start-ups, cashless currency concepts, mobile money transfer—were planted two decades ago. He also reveals the stories of countless individuals who were left out of the front-page features and banner headlines but who were central to PayPal’s success.

SELECTED ENDORSEMENTS

“An intensely magnetic chronicle…[Soni] is balanced and fluid in this solo outing, making mundane projects like the creation of an online ‘button,’ or the dawn of CAPTCHA, somehow literary…[he] also has a knack for the wry or lovely phrase…[and] appends a coda about the power of PayPal’s ‘mafia’ to inspire that left this reader, at least, in sobs.”
—New York Times

“A gripping account of PayPal’s origins and a vivid portrait of the geeks and contrarians who made its meteoric rise possible. His richly reported narrative includes corporate intrigue, workplace hijinks, breakthrough innovation and first-class nerdiness.”
—Wall Street Journal

“A dramatic business story about the payment’s company rise… also a human tale about [Elon] Musk, Peter Thiel, and Max Levchin before they went on to greater fame and fortune. In The Founders, Jimmy Soni captures the heady days of the dot-com bubble.”
—Reuters

“Gripping… [A]n engrossing glimpse of the PayPal mafia’s riotous early days.”
—The Economist

“Anyone who has used the internet in the last decade will find The Founders a revealing and sometimes shocking look inside today’s tech revolution and the very human wizards who have transformed our lives—for good and ill.”
—Kati Marton, author of The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel

“This is a fascinating page-turner about the brilliant and competitive innovators who created PayPal and went on to shape our digital world. The colorful cast of characters—including Thiel, Musk, Hoffman, Levchin—is amazing. Deeply reported and bracingly written, this book is an indispensable guide to modern innovation and entrepreneurship.”
—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs 

“The real secrets of Silicon Valley are the tight networks of friendship and business that propel new ideas, companies, and personalities into the world. The most consequential of these networks in recent decades is the one that began at PayPal. Here Jimmy Soni delivers a startup-hustle story for the ages, revealing why their wild entrepreneurial ride did so much to build Silicon Valley’s supersized present.”
—Margaret O’Mara, author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America

“You may think you know something about the early careers of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Max Levchin, but until you read this extraordinary and meticulously reported book, you really don’t. The Founders not only explains the veiled histories and inner workings of Silicon Valley’s influential ‘PayPal Mafia’—it explores the profound questions of how world-changing networks of technology, talent, and innovation come together.”
—Jon Gertner, author of The Idea Factory and The Ice at the End of the Worlda

“Short of getting into a time machine, it’s hard to imagine how you’d get closer to capturing PayPal’s rise—and understanding the lives of its creators. A brilliant book chock full of wisdom and lessons for business and life.”
—Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable

 Between Two Kingdoms meets Wild in this heart wrenching and inspirational memoir a woman and her mother, who is suffering from dementia, embark on a road trip through national parks, revisiting the memories, and the mountains, that made them who they are.

Steph Jagger lost her mother before she lost her. Her mother, stricken with an incurable disease that slowly erases all sense of self, struggles to remember her favorite drink, her favorite song, and―perhaps most heartbreaking of all―Steph herself. Steph watches as the woman who loved and raised her slips away before getting the chance to tell her story, and so Steph makes a promise: her mother will walk it and she will write it.

Too aware of her mother’s waning memory, Steph proposes that the two take a camping trip out to Montana―which her mother, on the urging of Steph’s father, agrees to embark upon. An adventure full of horseback riding, hiking, and “tenting” out West quickly turns into one woman’s reflection on childhood, motherhood, personhood―and what it means to love someone who doesn’t quite remember the person she spent her lifetime becoming.

A staggeringly beautiful examination of how stories are passed down through generations and from Mother Nature, Everything Left to Remember brings us the wisdom of who our memories make us under the constellations of the vast Montana sky.

“This will cast a spell on fans of Cheryl Strayed and Glennon Doyle.”– Publishers Weekly

 “I was entranced. Magical”–George Vaillant, M.D. Triumphs of Experience

 “This isa book in which words are medicine and stories have the ability to mend the heart”–Barbara Becker, Heartwood

 “A beautiful story of a mother and daughter living through the challenges of Alzheuimer’s and into the intimacy and mystery of their lives.”—Frank Ostaseki, The Five Invitations

This will cast a spell on fans of Cheryl Strayed and Glennon Doyle.”- Publishers Weekly

“I was entranced. Magical”–George Vaillant, MD , Triumphs of Experience

Both soaring and intimate, this spellbinding book maps a daughter’s journey into the wilds of herself. IF YOU LET IT, if you let it, Everything Left to Remember will unmake you and then help you rediscover your path home”

–Maia Toll, Wild Wisdom series

In the tradition of The Glass Castle, Educated, and Heartland, Neal Wooten traces five decades of his dirt-poor, Alabama mountain family as the years and secrets coalesce. 

Neal Wooten grew up in a tiny community atop Sand Mountain, Alabama, where everyone was white and everyone was poor. Prohibition was still embraced. If you wanted alcohol, you had to drive to Georgia or ask the bootlegger sitting next to you in church. Tent revivals, snake handlers, and sacred harp music were the norm, and everyone was welcome as long as you weren’t Black, brown, gay, atheist, Muslim, a damn Yankee, or a Tennessee Vol fan.

The Wooten’s lived a secret existence in a shack in the woods with no running water, no insulation, and almost no electricity. Even the school bus and mail carrier wouldn’t go there. Neal’s family could hide where they were, but not what they were. They were poor white trash. Cops could see it. Teachers could see it. Everyone could see it.

Growing up, Neal was weaned on folklore legends of his grandfather—his quick wit, quick feet, and quick temper.  He discovers how this volatile disposition led to a murder, a conviction, and ultimately to a daring prison escape and a closely guarded family secret.

Being followed by a black car with men in black suits was as normal to Neal as using an outhouse, carrying drinking water from a stream, and doing homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. And Neal’s father, having inherited the very same traits of his father, made sure the frigid mountain winters weren’t the most brutal thing his family faced.

Told from two perspectives, this story alternates between Neal’s life and his grandfather’s, culminating in a shocking revelation. Take a journey to the Deep South and learn what it’s like to be born on the wrong side of the tracks, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of a violent mental illness.

The author of I Used to Be a Miserable F*ck, The Angry Therapist, now teaches you how to prioritize your relationship with yourself and live a more meaningful life, whether you’re alone, dating, or with a partner.

From the environmental activist, consumer advocate, renowned crusader, and champion fighter whose courageous case against Pacific Gas and Electric was dramatized in the Oscar-winning film—a book to inspire change that looks at our present situation with water and reveals the imminent threats to our most precious, essential element as it shows us how, in large and practical ways, we can each take action to make changes in our cities, our towns, and our villages before it is too late.

SELECTED ENDORSEMENTS:

“Riveting . . . [Brockovich] shares personal anecdotes in addition to providing specific steps to assist readers in pursuit of their own community actions . . . Superman’s Not Coming will resonate strongly with anyone concerned about this important topic.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Two decades after the movie that made her a national celebrity, Brockovich urges readers to confront a scary reality . . . [She] offers an easy-to-understand guide to common water pollutants, and she shares stories of citizen activists . . . The narrative’s real power comes from her clarion calls to regular citizens to get involved in the fight for safe water . . . she offers several concrete suggestions for how people can gauge the safety of their own drinking water and stand up to corporations and politicians . . . a call to arms about the global water crisis from a sharp, plainspoken activist.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Brockovich is a vocal, no-nonsense writer—Roberts might even have downplayed her fire in the movie—and the book is most interesting and relevant when she’s focused and mad. The tales she tells show what we’re up against when it comes to clean water. But now, when it feels like irrecoverable environmental issues are ever present, they also demonstrate where change has happened and how addressing water issues at the source can make a big difference all the way down the chain.”                                        – —- –Outside magazine

Superman’s Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It is a brutally honest look at how mismanagement, chemical spills, mishandling of toxic waste and sludge, and even fake studies have created the perfect storm in terms of damaging water systems in the United States.

This is an impeccably researched book that brings science, court cases, depositions, interviews, history, and personal experience to the table to make strong points about the dire state of many of our water systems — and the consequences of it. Brockovich shows how things like suppression of research, intimidation of scientists, manipulated studies, and false scientific articles contribute to perpetuating the problem, and then she discusses what can be done about it.                                                                                   ––NPR

A leading minister offers an inspiring guide to living a meaningful life by embracing the power of gratitude.

The true story of the fate and the legal struggles to acknowledge, honor and compensate all of those men and women who came to our rescue after the most catastrophic act of terror on our nation- 9/11.

9/12 is the saga of the epic nine-year legal battle waged by William H. Groner against the City of New York and its contractors on behalf of the more than ten thousand first responders who became ill as a result of working on the Ground Zero cleanup. And this month, both  Congress and Senate finally resurrected the Victim’s Compensation Fund for all of the first reponders and their families. An historic tragedy. And at last some much need acknowledgment and compensation is put back into law.

William H. Groner is founder and CEO of SSAM Alternative Dispute Resolution and co-founder and former managing partner of Worby Groner Edelman, LLP. He lectures on the medical consequences of Ground Zero dust and on Ground Zero litigation and has made numerous radio and TV appearances.

Tom Teicholz is an award-winning journalist, contributor to Forbes.com, and cohost of the Buried Lede podcast. His books include Being There: Journalism 1978–2000 and Wilshire Boulevard Temple: Our History as Part of the Fabric of Los Angeles, among others.

The dramatic, spiritual memoir of a prominent Muslim woman working to empower women and girls across the world—for readers of Malala Yousafzai and Azar Nafisi.

Raised in a progressive Muslim family in the shadows of the Himalayan mountains, where she attended a Catholic girls’ school, Daisy experienced culture shock when her family sent her to the States to attend high school in a mostly Jewish Long Island suburb. Ambitious and talented, she quickly climbed the corporate ladder after college as an architectural designer in New York City. Though she loved the freedom that came with being a career woman, she felt that something was missing from her life. One day a friend suggested that she visit a Sufi mosque in Tribeca. To her surprise, she discovered a home there, eventually marrying the mosque’s imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, and finding herself, as his wife, at the center of a community in which women turned to her for advice. Guided by her faith, she embraced her role as a women’s advocate and has devised innovative ways to help end child marriage, fight against genital mutilation, and, most recently, educate young Muslims to resist the false promises of ISIS recruiters.

Born with Wings is a powerful, moving, and eye-opening account of Daisy Khan’s inspiring journey—of her self-actualization and her success in opening doors for other Muslim women and building bridges between cultures. It powerfully demonstrates what one woman can do—with faith, love, and resilience.

SELECTED ENDORSEMENTS

“A heartfelt, deeply personal, and touching account of a Muslim woman’s spiritual journey and her work to empower women and girls around the globe.”—Her Majesty Queen Noor

“Daisy Khan is one of the most prominent Muslim voices in America and an icon of female empowerment across the globe. This beautiful story of her spiritual journey is an inspiration to anyone who seeks to change the world.”—Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Zealot

“At a time when news headlines cast Muslim societies as war-torn or rigidly traditional, Daisy Khan offers a subtler, and ultimately more optimistic, vision. Through her own story, and the stories of other change-makers, Khan reminds us how Muslim women are asserting their rights while holding fast to their faith.”—Carla Power, author of If the Oceans Were Ink

“A lyrical, poignant, emboldening, and, most of all, deeply important book. Readers of all ages, backgrounds and faiths will find themselves in Daisy Khan’s extraordinaryily inspiring story- then rush to share it with a treasured friend”—Bruce Feiler, author of Abraham and Walking the Bible

DAISY KAHN is the founder and executive director of the Women’s Islamic Initiative in  Spirituality and Equality (WISE), a global organization that works on behalf of women’s rights in Islam and initiated the creation of the first global woman’s shura (advisory council).After finding herself at the center of the a national debate surrounding the Ground Zero controversy, Khan emerged as a leader in the public eye. She has won numerous awards  fir her work as an advocate for muslim women’s rights around the world.

Imagine finding a glimmer of good news in a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. And imagine how that would change the outlook of the 5 million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, not to mention their families, loved ones, and caretakers.

A neurologist who’s been specializing in dementia and memory loss for more than 20 years, Dr. Gayatri Devi rewrites the story of Alzheimer’s by defining it as a spectrum disorder—like autism, Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects different people differently. She encourages people who are worried about memory impairment to seek a diagnosis, because early treatment will enable doctors and caregivers to manage the disease more effectively through drugs and other therapies.

Told through the stories of Dr. Devi’s patients, The Spectrum of Hope is the kind of narrative medical writing that grips the reader, humanizes the science, and offers equal parts practical advice and wisdom with skillful ease. But beyond the pleasures of great reading, it’s a book that offers real hope. Here are chapters on how to maintain independence and dignity; how to fight depression, anxiety, and apathy; how to communicate effectively with a person suffering from dementia. Plus chapters on sexuality, genetics, going public with the diagnosis, even putting together a bucket list—because through her practice, Dr. Devi knows that the majority of Alzheimer’s patients continue to live and work in their communities. They babysit their grandkids, drive to the store (or own the store), serve their clients, or otherwise live fulfilling lives. That’s news that 5 million people are waiting to hear.

Gayatri Devi, MD, MS, FACP, FAAN, is an attending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital/Northwell Health and a Clinical Professor of Neurology at Downstate Medical Center. She is a board certified neurologist, with additional board certifications in Pain Medicine, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Neurology, and she served on the faculty of New York University’s School of Medicine as Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry until 2015. She is the author of over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals on the topic of memory loss, as well as the books Estrogen, Memory and Menopause (Alphasigma Press, 2000), What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Alzheimer’s Disease (Time Warner Books, 2004), and A Calm Brain (Dutton, 2012). She lives and practices in New York City.
SELECT ENDORSEMENTS:

“Captivating, educational, deeply perceptive about human nature—and as calming as a session with a loving, reassuring therapist. Devi is a wonderful, truthful storyteller. . . full of natural understanding and empathy. A very important book that will be helpful to millions of readers who fear this Thing in their lives.”
—David Small, author of Stitches

“Tremendously moving. Shows a deep sympathy for both the patients and for their caregivers . . . Several passages moved me to tears. As I fiction writer, I’m in awe of Devi’s ability to create a sense of real people, their goals, their concerns, their suffering.”
—Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of And After the Fire, recipient of the National Jewish Book Award

“Gayatri Devi’s compassionate and insightful perspective will inform and empower the many patients and their families suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.” —Gary Small, MD, Director, UCLA Longevity Center, and coauthor of The Alzheimer’s Prevention Program

“In this time when Alzheimer’s is as feared as cancer, Dr. Devi brings us realism and relief by explaining why it is a spectrum disease, as different as the part of the brain it affects, and by sharing the stories of people who lead unique, rewarding lives even after diagnosis. Since fear is lethal in itself, The Spectrum of Hope is good medicine.”—Gloria Steinem

“One of the most valuable ways to support caregivers is with anecdotes from others who through trial and error have found ways to solve problems. Dr. Devi reconstitutes that experience—a terrific addition to the library for the caregiver!”—Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease Research

“The Spectrum of Hope not only is a valuable resource for anyone receiving (or caring for someone with) a dementia diagnosis but should also be read by doctors for its lessons on how to imaginatively and sympathetically think about patients.”—Francine Prose

“This book is a game changer. Dr. Devi’s prescription for a personalized approach to dementia diagnosis and management is the new standard of care.” —Murali Doraiswamy, MBBS, Director, Neurocognitive Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, and coauthor of The Alzheimer’s Action Plan
THE DEFINITIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY, AND MEMOIR, OF BURNING MAN!! BY STEWART HARVEY, BROTHER OF ITS FOUNDER

A stunning visual and narrative homage—featuring more than 100 black & white and color photographs, many never before seen—that captures the wonder and metaphysical power of Burning Man past present, and future, and the magic that draws us to it, by the ultimate Burning Man insider.

Growing up in 1950s Oregon, brothers Stewart and Larry Harvey rebelled against their small-town culture and the conformist norms of Eisenhower’s America. Stewart turned to photography. Larry, drawn by the siren call of the burgeoning counter-cultural movement, fled to San Francisco, where he met a group of alternative artists like himself. During his frequent visits south, Stewart, camera always in hand, photographed the intimate creative worlds of Larry and his friends—images that would chronicle the birth of one of the most important cultural, artistic, and social movements of the twentieth century: Burning Man.

Filled with the rare insights of Stewart’s decades-long friendships with his brother and the five other founders, as well as the many people who have shaped it, Playa Fire is a Burning Man story like no other. An artist and writer of striking emotional depth, Stewart marries stunning photos reflecting the beauty and grandeur of the desert landscape and the ephemeral, hallucinatory beauty of Black Rock City with a compelling narrative journey that captures the landmark festival’s spiritual essence.

Drawn from his personal archives and taken over thirty years at Burning Man—many at “First Camp”—his panoramic photographs are accompanied by never-before-seen memorabilia, including Larry’s original sketch of the first Man as well as family photos of the young Harvey brothers and their band of merrymakers. An exquisite work of art that embodies the radical imagination at the core of this transformative event, Playa Fire celebrates both the spectacle and the meditative that is Burning Man. It is an enchanting portrait for die-hard “Burners,” arts enthusiasts, and the intellectually curious fascinated by this iconoclastic, beloved cultural phenomenon.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NOMINEE

“Claude Shannon wrote the ‘the Magna Carta of the Information Age’ and conceived of the basic concept underlying all digital computers. Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman offer a long overdue, insightful, and humane portrait of this eccentric and towering genius.” –Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs, The Innovators, and Einstein

“We owe Claude Shannon a lot, and Soni & Goodman’s book takes a big first step in paying that debt.” —San Francisco Review of Books

In their second collaboration, biographers Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman present the story of Claude Shannon—one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century and the architect of the Information Age, whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded. Claude Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He constructed the first wearable computer, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots. He also wrote the seminal text of the digital revolution, which has been called “the Magna Carta of the Information Age.” In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Soni and Goodman reveal Claude Shannon’s full story for the first time. With unique access to Shannon’s family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and always playful genius to life.

SELECTED ENDORSEMENTS:

“An exceptionally elegant and authoritative portrait of a man of few words but many big ideas. Soni and Goodman’s elucidations of Claude Shannon’s theories are gems of conciseness and clarity, and their case for placing him in the same pantheon as Turing and von Neumann is compelling.” (Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award)

“Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman have written a fascinating, readable, and necessary biography of a true American genius. This is the book that finally explains Claude Shannon’s character and career as well as the context of his extraordinary life and times.” (Jon Gertner, author of The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation)

“An avid biography full of freewheeling curiosity and fun. It’s a pleasure getting to know you, Claude Shannon!” (Siobhan Roberts, author of Genius at Play: The Curious Mind of John Horton Conway)

“Shannon was to information and communication what Newton was to physics. By following his curiosity through the playground of science, he discovered mathematical laws that govern our digital age. The Shannon I worked with comes alive in these pages.” (Edward O. Thorp, author of A Man For All Markets and Beat The Dealer)

“At last a biography of a man who shaped the Information Age we live in, and a thinker who combined the playfulness of Richard Feynman with the genius of Albert Einstein. For anyone interested in living both a playful and a thoughtful life, there is no better model than Claude Shannon—and no better writing team than Soni and Goodman to have written the book on it.” (Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Daily Stoic and The Obstacle Is The Way)

“A brilliant treatment of the life of Claude Shannon, one of the 20th century’s most remarkable scientists in the field of information technology. This giant of a man launched the digital world we now inhabit, but his not the household name it deserves to be. Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman have corrected this with their superb new book presenting Shannon’s amazing personal and professional life.” (Professor Leonard Kleinrock, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, UCLA, and winner, 2007 National Medal of Science)

SELECTED REVIEWS:

“Soni and Goodman are at their best when they invoke the wonder an idea can instill. They summon the right level of awe while stopping short of hyperbole.” —Financial Times

“Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman make a convincing case for their subtitle while reminding us that Shannon never made this claim himself.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Soni and Goodman have done their research…A Mind at Play reveals the remarkable human behind some of the most important theoretical and practical contributions to the information age.” —Nature

“A Mind at Play shows us that you don’t need to be a genius to learn from a genius. Claude Shannon’s inventive, vibrant life demonstrates how vital the act of play can be to making the most of work.” —Inc.

“A charming account of one of the twentieth century’s most distinguished scientists…Readers will enjoy this portrait of a modern-day Da Vinci.” —Fortune

Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman are also the authors of ROME’S LAST CITIZEN: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar

Written in the vein Ted Conover and Jon Krakauer, using a mix of first-person adventure and cultural analysis, The New Wild West is the definitive account of what’s happening on the ground and what really happens to a community when the energy industry is allowed to set up in a town with little regulation or oversight―and at what cost.

Williston, North Dakota was a sleepy farm town for generations―until the frackers arrived. The oil companies moved into Williston, overtaking the town and setting off a boom that America hadn’t seen since the Gold Rush. Workers from all over the country descended, chasing jobs that promised them six-figure salaries and demanded no prior experience.

But for every person chasing the American dream, there is a darker side―reports of violence and sexual assault skyrocketed, schools overflowed, and housing prices soared. Real estate is such a hot commodity that tent cities popped up, and many workers’ only option was to live out of their cars. Farmers whose families had tended the land for generations watched, powerless, as their fields were bulldozed to make way for one oil rig after another.

SELECTED ENDORSEMENTS:

“The same furious forces that shattered the Bakken Shale and unleashed one of the most explosive oil booms in history also fractured the lives of many who were drawn to it. Insightful, deeply reported, and at times heartbreakingly personal, Blaire Briody’s The New Wild West brings us face to face with the walking wounded of America’s domestic energy boom―the preacher fallen from grace, the young couple struggling to hold their family together, the roughnecks and drivers who all came looking for that most elusive of natural resources, a second chance. It’s a must-read.” ―Seamus McGraw, author of The End of Country: Dispatches from the Frack Zone

“The North Dakota oil rush brought a wave of prosperity and a load of human trouble to a previously-gentle frozen backwater of the United States. Blaire Briody tells the story with fearlessness and compassion and gets inside the lives of truck drivers, pastors, roughnecks and modern-day American migrants trying to cope with a bonanza and its aftermath. This is first-rate reporting, with a novelist’s sensibility.” ―Tom Zoellner, author of Train: Riding the Rails that Created the Modern World, from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief

“Nothing decodes a place in time like a great reporter on the ground. With elegance, incisiveness and heart, Blaire Briody weaves snapshot stories of those recession refugees attracted to and affected by the North Dakota oil boom. With Briody as your guide, you’ll see, feel, and understand the motives, choices, and challenges that defined the New Wild West.” ―Adam Skolnick, author of One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits

“Briody shows a remarkable talent for explaining the societal shifts wrought by the new american oil boom through individual stories. Where others might cite statistics and be done with it, she applies a human touch, and the impact of her work is greater for it. This is timely, necessary stuff.” ―Sarah Stodola, author of Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors

THERE COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE A MORE TOPICAL BOOK TO READ TODAY THAN EVA DILLON’S STORY ABOUT THE TRUE WORK OF HER FATHER AND HIS ASSET; THE GENERAL PUTIN REFERS TO, STILL, AS RUSSIA’S BIGGEST TRAITOR; AND THE LIVES OF TWO FAMILIES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE COLD WAR..HOW HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF…A PAGE TURNER!!!!!

A riveting true-life thriller and revealing memoir from the daughter of an American intelligence officer—the astonishing true story of two spies and their families on opposite sides of the Cold War.

In the summer of 1975, seventeen-year-old Eva Dillon’s family was living in New Delhi when her father was exposed as a CIA spy. Eva had long believed that her father was a U.S. State Department employee. She had no idea that he was handling the CIA’s highest-ranking double agent—Dmitri Fedorovich Polyakov—a Soviet general whose code name was TOPHAT. Dillon’s father and Polyakov had a close friendship that went back years, to their first meeting in Burma in the mid-1960s. At the height of the Cold War, the Russian offered the CIA an unfiltered view into the vault of Soviet intelligence. His collaboration helped ensure that tensions between the two nuclear superpowers did not escalate into a shooting war.

Spanning fifty years and three continents, Spies in the Family is a deeply researched account of two families on opposite sides of the lethal espionage campaigns of the Cold War, and two men whose devoted friendship lasted a lifetime, until the devastating final days of their lives. With impeccable insider access to both families as well as knowledgeable CIA and FBI officers, Dillon goes beyond the fog of secrecy to craft an unforgettable story of friendship and betrayal, double agents and clandestine lives, that challenges our notions of patriotism, exposing the commonality between peoples of opposing political economic systems.

Both a gripping tale of spy craft and a moving personal story, Spies in the Family is an invaluable and heart-rending work.

SELECT ENDORSEMENTS

“With detail and technique that are almost novelistic, Dillon weaves the personal stories of the two families: her own and that of Polyakov. Reads like a fine spy novel whose ending we know but whose story transports us nonetheless.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

“A riveting read, Dillon creatively weaves the narratives of her CIA father’s career and family life with those of Dmitri Polyakov, one of the Cold War’s most valuable Russian assets. An untold and important story that’s been a long time coming, this book is worth the wait.” (The Hon. John Lehman, Former Secretary of the Navy and 9/11 Commissioner)

“This spellbinder spans lives, families and politics on opposite sides of the Cold War, combining suspenseful accounts of two intelligence agents deeply committed to avoiding nuclear war with each family’s unique—and heartbreaking—experiences. This moving story is gripping from start to finish.” (Jacqueline Leo, President and Editor in Chief, The Fiscal Times; former Editor in Chief, Reader’s Digest)

“A beautifully written, profoundly moving account of one of the most important U.S Intelligence sources ever run inside the Soviet Union. A cliff-hanger from beginning to end, Dillon’s account is filled with espionage tradecraft and family drama—essential reading for anyone fascinated by how spying really works.” (Peter Earnest, Executive Director, International Spy Museum)

“Interweaving details of daring tradecraft with moving human elements, Dillon tells the fascinating story of two agents and their families with differing experiences and perspectives, and very different outcomes. This mesmerizing book will appeal to historians, spy-buffs, intelligence professionals and everyday readers alike.” (H. Keith Melton, author of Ultimate Spy, and co-author (with Robert Wallace) of Spycraft and the Spy Sites series)

“Eva Dillon expertly tells an untold chapter of Cold War espionage from a front row seat. It was her father, after all, who was the Spymaster. This is a warm, riveting, great read.” (Joe Drape, New York Times best selling author, American Pharoah and Our Boys)

FRANK OSTASESKI’S SEMINAL BOOK ON WHAT THE DYING CAN TEACH US ABOUT LIVING OUR LOVES FULLY- EVERY DAY. THIS IS CRITICAL READING FOR EVERYONE:

Death is not waiting for us at the end of a long road. Death is always with us, in the marrow of every passing moment. She is the secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us to discover what matters most.

Life and death are a package deal. They cannot be pulled apart and we cannot truly live unless we are aware of death. The Five Invitations is an exhilarating meditation on the meaning of life and how maintaining an ever-present consciousness of death can bring us closer to our truest selves. As a renowned teacher of compassionate caregiving and the cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project, Frank Ostaseski has sat on the precipice of death with more than a thousand people. In The Five Invitations, he distills the lessons gleaned over the course of his career, offering an evocative and stirring guide that points to a radical path to transformation.

The Five Invitations:
-Don’t Wait
-Welcome Everything, Push Away Nothing
-Bring Your Whole Self to the Experience
-Find a Place of Rest in the Middle of Things
-Cultivate Don’t Know Mind

These Five Invitations show us how to wake up fully to our lives. They can be understood as best practices for anyone coping with loss or navigating any sort of transition or crisis; they guide us toward appreciating life’s preciousness. Awareness of death can be a valuable companion on the road to living well, forging a rich and meaningful life, and letting go of regret. The Five Invitations is a powerful and inspiring exploration of the essential wisdom dying has to impart to all of us.

SELECT ENDORSEMENTS:

“Frank is a pioneer in mindful care at the end of life. He embodies the wisdom and compassion he shares in these magical and compelling pages. You feel it instantly, because it is real, and it is really about you and your life.” ―Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR and author of Full Catastrophe Living and Coming to Our Senses

“This book distills a compassionate shepherd’s lifelong experience with death and dying.” ―Bill Moyers, journalist, social commentator, and producer of On Our Own terms: Moyers on Death and Dying

“These moving teachings can open your heart and change your life. For decades, Frank has been a compassionate guide to thousands of people facing death. In The Five Invitations, he shares his timeless wisdom, beautifully, as a blessing to all.” ―Jack Kornfield, international Buddhist teacher and author of A Path With Heart

“As a physician, I often work with people who view death as the ultimate isolating experience, solitary confinement for eternity―the ultimate dark terror. In this extraordinary, eloquent, and powerful book, Frank Ostaseski reveals how we can transform this darkness into a bright light (brilliant in every way), a return to the source, the ultimate in intimacy, healing, and meaning―the essence of love. What could be better than that?” ―Dean Ornish, M.D. and New York Times bestselling author of The Spectrum

“This book is an inspiring, comforting and accessible gift.” ―Sogyal Rinpoche, spiritual master and author of international bestseller The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

“Stephen always had great trust in Frank’s good heart. As his teacher and longtime friend he encouraged Frank to write and share his wisdom on conscious living and conscious dying. Finally, we have this gift to the world. This book is a beautiful, loving gift and a manifestation of a lifetime of selfless service and compassionate care.” ―Ondrea Levine coauthor with Stephen Levine of Who Dies: An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying

“Frank Ostaseski is one of the great contemporary teachers of ancient Buddhist wisdom and practice. Over the years, his teachings have informed both my meditative and clinical practices. Now, through The Five Invitations a broader audience can benefit from Frank’s insights, soulful perspectives, and practical guidance. What a gift!” ―Ira Byock M.D., international leader in palliative care, Chief Medical Officer for the Institute for Human Caring of Providence Health and Services, and author of The Four Things That Matter Most: A Book About Living and The Best Care Possible: A Physician’s Quest to Transform Care Through the End of Life.

“The Five Invitations is a remarkable book, one that is deeply needed by all of us. Five invitations to live our lives fully, in the present, all the way through. Frank Ostaseski, whose journey spans over three decades of creating and participating in the hospice movement, imparts timeless wisdom that should inform our every day: How to embrace uncertainty and live with joy, peace, and acceptance. This is not a book about death, it’s a book about life and living. Buy it, share it, live it―I know I will.” ―Henry S. Lodge, M.D., Robert Burch Family Professor of Medicine, and coauthor of the Younger Next Year series

“Frank is a very dear friend. I have worked in the field of death and dying close to Frank and this book represents the distillation of many years of his efforts. He shows us that if you are to die consciously, there’s no time like the present to prepare. This book is a loving, compassionate reminder that the best preparation for death is a life fully lived” ―Ram Dass, international spiritual teacher and author of the bestseller Be Here Now and Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying

“Frank Ostaseski speaks with clear wisdom and deep compassion. Sharing stories and insights from his decades of working with people at the very end of their lives, his ultimate revelation has to do with how meaningful, in both our living and our dying, is the capacity to be open to and present in grace. His words offer much worthy of contemplation and his service to all of us is worthy of deep respect.” ―Kathleen Dowling Singh, author of Grace in Dying: How We Are Transformed Spiritually As We Die and The Grace in Aging: Awaken As You Grow Old

“This book is deep, right and rare. The compelling lessons shared in The Five Invitations are valuable to people at any phase of life. Whether facing your own imminent death or that of a loved one, navigating a crisis, or looking to embrace and enjoy living your life more fully, you will find the wisdom lovingly offered in these pages inspiring and enlightening.” ―SARK, coauthor and artist of Succulent Wild Love

JANE ALEXANDER’S CAPTIVATING AND IMPORTANT BOOK IS NOW OUT IN PAPERBACK! I URGE YOU TO GET IT!

  You will read it in one sitting, it is so engrossing- and what it has to say is so critical!!

Acclaim for Jane Alexander’s
Wild Things, Wild Places

“Intimate and eloquent . . . Alexander shares her joy in the wild while reminding us of the speed and extent of ongoing anthropogenic environmental degradation . . . An eclectic, engaging and thoughtful travel diary about the state of the world’s wildlife written by an author who loves and reveres nature and all its creatures, great and small . . . A buffet for those who might enjoy sharing a personal retrospective on the natural wonders of this world from an author who has used her stardom to raise awareness of the imperative of reducing the massive environmental footprint of our species.”
—Marilyn Gates, New York Journal of Books

“Alexander’s experiences and environmental writings remind me of the work of Rachel Carson, but Carson is remembered for her historic role in the environmental movement. Alexander is the visionary that will inspire today’s environmental movement.”
—Lynne Cox, author of Swimming in the Sink
 
“Alexander provides an urbane survey of her world travels in pursuit of nature, succeeding admirably on several levels: descriptions of wildlife (especially birds), understanding of an empathy with local peoples, analysis of environmental problems, and compelling personal anecdotes . . . Highly recommended for all interested in travel, natural history, and environmental issues.”
—Henry T. Armistead, Library Journal (Starred Review)

“An impassioned if measured narrative of her explorations of little-known corners of the Earth with an eye toward celebration and conservation . . . The real force of Wild Things, Wild Places resides in the author’s articulation of her exhilaration of the wonders of nature (particularly her love of birds) and her willingness to ford streams, slash through jungles, and scale mountains to defend it.”
—Publishers Weekly

JANE ALEXANDER  has appeared in sixty films for screen and television and was nominated for an Academy Award for her roles in The Great White Hope, All the President’s Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Testament. She received an Emmy Award for Playing for Time and Warm Springs. Her career in theater has taken her from Broadway to London’s West End. She is the recipient of a Tony Award and an Obie, and was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. Alexander was chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts from 1993 to 1997. She is a former trustee of the Wildlife Conservation Society and a commissioner of New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is on the board of the Audubon Society. Alexander was the recipient of the first Global Wildlife Ambassador Award given by the Indianapolis Prize. She lives in Nova Scotia and upstate New York.