TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of May 9, 2004

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EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES
Lynne Truss
Cover of EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES

EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES

by Lynne Truss · Gotham

3 wks on list

At front and back of book: Punctuation repair kit [stickers].

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AGAINST ALL ENEMIES
Richard A. Clarke
Cover of AGAINST ALL ENEMIES

AGAINST ALL ENEMIES

by Richard A. Clarke · Free Press

5 wks on list

The disturbing truth about the war on terror and a withering critique of the Bush Administration's neglect of the threat, by the man who served for eleven years as the White House Counter-terrorism Czar.

5
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WORSE THAN WATERGATE
John W. Dean
Cover of WORSE THAN WATERGATE

WORSE THAN WATERGATE

by John W. Dean · Little, Brown

4 wks on list

Nixon's White House counsel discusses the Bush-Cheney administration in this New York Timesbestseller: "Powerful . . . a riveting book." — Los Angeles Times Book Review Former White House counsel John Dean, with the unique viewpoint and expertise born of working for Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal, here looks critically at the administration of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, arguing that its worldview—and its tendency toward secrecy and deception—set America back decades, and may ultimately do more damage to the nation than Nixon at his worst. "He has become a discerning connoisseur of presidential venality." — The New York Times "Few critics have as effectively put the disparate pieces together." — Publishers Weekly

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FOUNDING MOTHERS
Cokie Roberts
Cover of FOUNDING MOTHERS

FOUNDING MOTHERS

by Cokie Roberts · Morrow

2 wks on list

Much has been written about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, battled the British, and framed the Constitution. But their wives, mothers, sisters and daughters have been overlooked by history. In Founding Mothers, Cokie Roberts uncovers the inspiring and often surprising stories of the women whose tireless pursuits on behalf of their families and their country were essential to the founding of the United States. Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin and Eliza Pinckney are just a few of the remarkable women whose everyday trials and extraordinary triumphs are profiled in this book. Drawing on personal correspondence, private journals, and even favorite recipes, Roberts reveals a side of eighteenth century history that has often been ignored, but deserves to be celebrated. Cokie Roberts is a political commentator for ABC News and a senior news analyst for NPR. In addition to broadcasting, Roberts, along with her husband, Steven V. Roberts, writes a weekly column syndicated in newspapers across the country by United Media. She is the best-selling author of From This Day Forward, Founding Mothers, and Ladies of Liberty, and she lives with her husband in Bethesda, Maryland. “[Roberts] creates a strong ... case that without the patriotism of women on the home front, the Colonies would have lost the Revolutionary War ... Founding Mothers is a series of entertaining mini-biographies and engaging vignettes.” — New York Times

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TEN MINUTES FROM NORMAL
Karen Hughes
Cover of TEN MINUTES FROM NORMAL

TEN MINUTES FROM NORMAL

by Karen Hughes · Viking Press

4 wks on list

A New York Times bestseller from President George W. Bush’s “most essential advisor” (ABC News). An inside look at the life of Bush’s most respected aide and confidante, as she balanced her role as one of the most influential women ever to set foot in the White House against her role as a wife and mother. “The rule of thumb in any White House is that nobody is indispensable except the president,” said The New York Times, “But Karen Hughes has come as close to that description as any recent presidential aide.” Ten Minutes from Normal is the often humorous, disarmingly down-to-earth, and politically fascinating journey of her time in Bush’s inner circle. As Counselor to the President for his first eighteen months in the White House and as his communications director since he first ran for Governor of Texas in 1994, Hughes was a crucial influence. When he first moved to Washington, Bush told members of the White House staff that he wanted Karen in the room whenever any major decisions were made. Being a journalist, she was fascinated by politics and inspired by people who sought elective office to improve their communities. When she married and became the instant mother of a nine-year-old stepdaughter, she realized her priorities had changed: Family mattered, and she didn’t want to live as if it didn’t. Thus her life became one of balancing her career ambitions and her deeply felt sense of service and duty with her responsibilities and love for her family. In various Republican campaigns in Texas, she worked from home with her young son, Robert, beside her. She planned the 1990 Republican State Convention from her driveway while Robert played in the dirt at her feet. Karen tried to bring the perspective of a working mom to the White House, often asking the question she first learned as a reporter: “What does this mean to the average person?” Her exhilarating life in Washington was unlike anything she had experienced before, yet the lack of balance between her service to the President and country and her service to her family was a daily struggle. By the spring of 2002, Karen found herself in turmoil. She knew the president needed her, but her family needed her, too. Her son was not happy in Washington; neither was her husband. After much soul-searching, she concluded that she could do a better job of serving the president from Texas than of serving her family from Washington. “I love you, Mr. President,” she told him, “but I have to move my family back to Texas.” She continued to serve Bush from her home in Austin and laughed about the so-called “balance” she found. When she looked at the wall calendar in her kitchen, she found the State of the Union address side by side with her son’s orthodontist appointments.

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BLUE BLOOD
Edward Conlon
Cover of BLUE BLOOD

BLUE BLOOD

by Edward Conlon · Riverhead

2 wks on list

A portrait of life as a police officer in the NYPD chronicles the author's life as a cop, from growing up with a police officer father, to his first day on the beat in the South Bronx and to his rise to detective.

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HOUSE OF BUSH, HOUSE OF SAUD
Craig Unger
Cover of HOUSE OF BUSH, HOUSE OF SAUD

HOUSE OF BUSH, HOUSE OF SAUD

by Craig Unger · Scribner

6 wks on list

Newsbreaking and controversial -- an award-winning investigative journalist uncovers the thirty-year relationship between the Bush family and the House of Saud and explains its impact on American foreign policy, business, and national security. House of Bush, House of Saud begins with a politically explosive question: How is it that two days after 9/11, when U.S. air traffic was tightly restricted, 140 Saudis, many immediate kin to Osama Bin Laden, were permitted to leave the country without being questioned by U.S. intelligence? The answer lies in a hidden relationship that began in the 1970s, when the oil-rich House of Saud began courting American politicians in a bid for military protection, influence, and investment opportunity. With the Bush family, the Saudis hit a gusher -- direct access to presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. To trace the amazing weave of Saud- Bush connections, Unger interviewed three former directors of the CIA, top Saudi and Israeli intelligence officials, and more than one hundred other sources. His access to major players is unparalleled and often exclusive -- including executives at the Carlyle Group, the giant investment firm where the House of Bush and the House of Saud each has a major stake. Like Bob Woodward's The Veil, Unger's House of Bush, House of Saud features unprecedented reportage; like Michael Moore's Dude, Where's My Country? Unger's book offers a political counter-narrative to official explanations; this deeply sourced account has already been cited by Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, and sets 9/11, the two Gulf Wars, and the ongoing Middle East crisis in a new context: What really happened when America's most powerful political family became seduced by its Saudi counterparts?

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NEW
ON THE DOWN LOW
J. L. King with Karen Hunter
Cover of ON THE DOWN LOW

ON THE DOWN LOW

by J. L. King with Karen Hunter · Broadway

1 wks on list

A bold exposé of the controversial secret that has potentially dire consequences in many African American communities. Delivering the first frank and thorough investigation of life “on the down low” (the DL), J. L. King exposes a closeted culture of sex between black men who lead “straight” lives. King explores his own past as a DL man, and the path that led him to let go of the lies and bring forth a message that can promote emotional healing and open discussions about relationships, sex, sexuality, and health in the black community. Providing a long-overdue wake-up call, J. L. King bravely puts the spotlight on a topic that has until now remained dangerously taboo. Drawn from hundreds of interviews, statistics, and the author’s firsthand knowledge of DL behavior, On the Down Low reveals the warning signs African American women need to know. King also discusses the potential health consequences of having unprotected sex, as African American women represent an alarming 64 percent of new HIV infections. Volatile yet vital, On the Down Low is sure to be one of the most talked-about books of the year. “A survey by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta found that nearly a quarter of black HIV-positive men who had sex with men consider themselves heterosexual.” —Essence

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CADDY FOR LIFE
John Feinstein
Cover of CADDY FOR LIFE

CADDY FOR LIFE

by John Feinstein · Little, Brown

3 wks on list

Provides an inspirational portrait of legendary golf caddy Bruce Edwards, who has been a caddy for Tom Watson since 1973, as he continues the job he loves despite the growing physical limitations of Lou Gehrig's disease.

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PLEDGED
Alexandra Robbins
Cover of PLEDGED

PLEDGED

by Alexandra Robbins · Hyperion

1 wks on list

Alexandra Robbins wanted to find out if the stereotypes about sorority girls were actually true, so she spent a year with a group of girls in a typical sorority. The sordid behavior of sorority girls exceeded her worst expectations -- drugs, psychological abuse, extreme promiscuity, racism, violence, and rampant eating disorders are just a few of the problems. But even more surprising was the fact that these abuses were inflicted and endured by intelligent, successful, and attractive women. Why is the desire to belong to a sorority so powerful that women are willing to engage in this type of behavior -- especially when the women involved are supposed to be considered 'sisters'? What definition of sisterhood do many women embrace? Pledged combines a sharp-eyed narrative with extensive reporting and the fly-on-the-wall voyeurism of reality shows to provide the answer.

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FAREWELL, JACKIE
Edward Klein
Cover of FAREWELL, JACKIE

FAREWELL, JACKIE

by Edward Klein · Viking Press

2 wks on list

In time for the tenth anniversary of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's death comes a portrait of her final days from the author of three previous bestselling books on the Kennedy family.

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THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS
Brian Greene
Cover of THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS

THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS

by Brian Greene · Knopf

10 wks on list

The author argues that recent scientific discoveries about the birth of the universe require us to replace outmoded ways of seeing the world, bridging the chasm between science and spirituality, the physical realm and the soul.

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.