“Françoise, if a woman is condemned to death by hanging, she must marry the hangman. That will save her life.” So explains Madame Pommereau to her servant Françoise, neither realizing that this seemingly insignificant fact will... Read More

Humans have always looked to the vastness of the heavens and the fathoms of the oceans for something or someone bigger than themselves—to worship, to hold in awe, and to revere. "The God Gene" is biologist and science educator John... Read More

At ninety, Eileen Allen has the wisdom and humility to dole out advice on aging and being happy. As she discusses her physical limitations and how she copes with them, she does not shy away from talking about her resistance to change and... Read More

Scores of management and leadership books are published each year. Most of them seem to employ a gimmick of one sort or another. Some books approach the topic through the eyes of a celebrity, sports figure, war hero, or spiritual leader.... Read More

Reno’s Funmakers, a “biographical novel” by George Moon, gives praise to his family and especially to his grandfather. In his first novel, Mr. Moon tells a fictional version of his family’s experience during the Great Depression... Read More

About 1.65 million graduating seniors from the class of 2011 took the SAT exam, and the first challenge each of those teens faced on test day was the SAT essay—two blank pages that Tom Clements calls “every high school student’s... Read More

Sam Djang’s biographical novel about the Mongol emperor is a fine book, an easy read, and educational. Readers who do not know much about the thirteenth-century emperor will find Genghis Khan: The World Conqueror, Volume I a good place... Read More

After World War II, the USA and the USSR established themselves as two superpowers. They entered into a tense rivalry that remained equal by matching each other’s nuclear weapons proliferation. This strategy is called MAD—Mutual... Read More