TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Nonfiction

Week of May 16, 2004

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

EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES

by Lynne Truss · Gotham

4 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

6 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.

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

WORSE THAN WATERGATE

by John W. Dean · Little, Brown

5 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

3 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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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

2 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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BELLY LAUGHS
Jenny McCarthy
Cover of BELLY LAUGHS

BELLY LAUGHS

by Jenny McCarthy · Da Capo/Lifelong

1 wks on list

The New York Times bestseller--never shy, frequently crude and always funny, Jenny McCarthy gives the lowdown on pregnancy in the grittiest girlfriend detail Revealing the naked truth about the tremendous joys, the excruciating pains, and the inevitable disfigurement that go along with pregnancy, Jenny McCarthy tells you what you can really expect when you're expecting! From morning sickness and hormonal rage, to hemorrhoids, granny panties, pregnant sex, and the torture and sweet relief that is delivery, Belly Laughs is must-read comic relief for anyone who is pregnant, has ever been pregnant, is trying to get pregnant, or, indeed, has ever been born!

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CADDY FOR LIFE
John Feinstein
Cover of CADDY FOR LIFE

CADDY FOR LIFE

by John Feinstein · Little, Brown

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

TEN MINUTES FROM NORMAL

by Karen Hughes · Viking Press

5 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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BREAKING THE DA VINCI CODE
Darrell L. Bock
Cover of BREAKING THE DA VINCI CODE

BREAKING THE DA VINCI CODE

by Darrell L. Bock · Nelson Books

1 wks on list

Many who have read the New York Times bestseller The Da Vinci Code have questions that arise from seven codes-expressed or implied-in Dan Brown's book. In Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyone's Asking, Darrell Bock, Ph.D., responds to the novelist's claims using central ancient texts and answers the following questions: Who was Mary Magdalene? Was Jesus Married? Would Jesus Being Single be Un-Jewish? Do the So-Called Secret Gnostic Gospels Help Us Understand Jesus? What Is the Remaining Relevance of The Da Vinci Code? Darrell Bock's research uncovers the origins of these codes by focusing on the 325 years immediately following the birth of Christ, for the claims of The Da Vinci Code rise or fall on the basis of things emerging from this period. Breaking the Da Vinci Code, now available in trade paper, distinguishes fictitious entertainment from historical elements of the Christian faith. For by seeing these differences, one can break the Da Vinci code.

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FAREWELL, JACKIE
Edward Klein
Cover of FAREWELL, JACKIE

FAREWELL, JACKIE

by Edward Klein · Viking Press

3 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.

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