"If your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this. WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? is an intimate and admiring portrait of a president, a candid book of advice for young women, and a promising debut from a savvy political star"--

On May 18, 1860, everyone waited for the results from the Republican National Convention. Lincoln won, Goodwin demonstrates, because of his extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men. It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the union and winning the war.

The first-ever biography of Anna Marie Rosenberg, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant who became a real power behind national policies critical to America winning World War II and prospering afterwards, chronicles her extraordinary career as FDR's special envoy to Europe during the war and an adviser to five presidents. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt's special envoy to Europe in World War II, Anna Rosenberg went where the president couldn't go. She was among...

Fonda and Stewart became friends and then roommates as stage actors in New York. When they began making films in Hollywood, they roomed together again, with shared interests in elaborate practical jokes and model airplaness. Eyman spoke with Fonda's widow and children as well as three of Stewart's children, plus actors and directors who had worked with the men to create a fascinating portrait of an extraordinary friendship that lasted through war,...

Tiny Haines, Alaska, is ninety miles north of Juneau, accessible mainly by water or air―and only when the weather is good. There's no traffic light and no mail delivery; people can vanish without a trace and funerals are a community affair. Heather Lende posts both the obituaries and the social column for her local newspaper. If anyone knows the going-on in this close-knit town―from births to weddings to funerals―she does.

A former national security advisor and Secretary of State offers the compelling story of her eight years serving at the highest levels of government, including the difficult job she faced in the wake of 9/11.

"A feature-length buddy/road-trip/docu-dramedy that follows Dave, an idealistic adventurer and automotive ne'er-do-well, and his convivial co-pilot Charlie--on their journey down Route 66 in a baby blue 1972 VW bus"--Container.

"The extraordinary story of one of the most fruitful friendships in modern arts and letters. Paris, 1902: Renowned sculptor Auguste Rodin has just completed The Thinker. Rainer Maria Rilke is a delicate young visitor from Prague, broke and suffering from a case of writer's block. When Rilke is commissioned to write a book about Rodin, everything changes. ... You Must Change Your Life reveals one of the great stories of modern art and literature: Rodin...