Ebook Title: My Life: Bill Clinton
Author: Bill Clinton
Publisher: Vintage (May 31, 2005)
Paperback: 1056 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 140003003X
ISBN-13: 978-1400030033

EBook Description
Bill Clinton’s My Life is the strikingly candid portrait of a global leader who decided early in life to devote his intellectual and political gifts, and his extraordinary capacity for hard work, to serving the public.

It shows us the progress of a remarkable American, who, through his own enormous energies and efforts, made the unlikely journey from Hope, Arkansas, to the White House—a journey fueled by an impassioned interest in the political process which manifested itself at every stage of his life: in college, working as an intern for Senator William Fulbright; at Oxford, becoming part of the Vietnam War protest movement; at Yale Law School, campaigning on the grassroots level for Democratic candidates; back in Arkansas, running for Congress, attorney general, and governor.

We see his career shaped by his resolute determination to improve the life of his fellow citizens, an unfaltering commitment to civil rights, and an exceptional understanding of the practicalities of political life. We come to understand the emotional pressures of his youth—born after his father’s death; caught in the dysfunctional relationship between his feisty, nurturing mother and his abusive stepfather, whom he never ceased to love and whose name he took; drawn to the brilliant, compelling Hillary Rodham, whom he was determined to marry; passionately devoted, from her infancy, to their daughter, Chelsea, and to the entire experience of fatherhood; slowly and painfully beginning to comprehend how his early denial of pain led him at times into damaging patterns of behavior.

Bill Clinton’s book is also the fullest, most concretely detailed, most nuanced account of a presidency ever written—encompassing not only the high points and crises but the way the presidency actually works: the day-to-day bombardment of problems, personalities, conflicts, setbacks, achievements. It is a testament to the positive impact on America and on the world of his work and his ideals. It is the gripping account of a president under concerted and unrelenting assault orchestrated by his enemies on the Far Right, and how he survived and prevailed. It is a treasury of moments caught alive, among them:

• The ten-year-old boy watching the national political conventions on his family’s new (and first) television set.
• The young candidate looking for votes in the Arkansas hills and the local seer who tells him, “Anybody who would campaign at a beer joint in Joiner at midnight on Saturday night deserves to carry one box. . . . You’ll win here. But it’ll be the only damn place you win in this county.” (He was right on both counts.)
• The roller-coaster ride of the 1992 campaign.
• The extraordinarily frank exchanges with Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole.
• The delicate manipulation needed to convince Rabin and Arafat to shake hands for the camera while keeping Arafat from kissing Rabin.
• The cost, both public and private, of the scandal that threatened the presidency.

Here is the life of a great national and international figure, revealed with all his talents and contradictions, told openly, directly, in his own completely recognizable voice. A unique book by a unique American.--From the Hardcover edition

Ebook Review
"By a generous measure, the richest American presidential autobiography–no other book tells us as vividly or fully what it is like to be president of the United States.... And he can write.” --Larry McMurtry, The New York Times Book Review

“My Life is, without question, the best written U.S. presidential tome of all time.” --Douglas Brinkley, Financial Times

“A hell of a good story.” --Frank McCourt, Entertainment Weekly

“It’s an almost voluptuous pleasure to read Clinton when he’s recounting and analyzing a political race or a legislative battle, whether it’s one of his own or somebody else’s.” —The New Yorker

“Consistently fascinating.” --The Seattle Times

“Clinton talks with disarming frankness [and] writes with grace and fluidity. . . . He is also a born storyteller.” --The New Republic

“Might just be the perfect representation of the man himself.” --The Plain Dealer

“Clinton has many tales to tell, particularly a rich, sometimes moving account of his years before the public life, fit for future analytical historians and biographers. . . . The personal and the political are intertwined. . . . Clinton’s story very much reflects the man we know.” --The Nation

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Ebook Title: In the Line of Fire: A Memoir

Author: Pervez Musharraf
Publisher: Free Press (September 25, 2006)
Hardcover: 368 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743283449
ISBN-13: 978-0743283441

EBook Description
According to Time magazine, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf holds "the world's most dangerous job." He has twice come within inches of assassination. His forces have caught more than 670 members of al Qaeda in the mountains and cities, yet many others remain at large and active, including Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri. Long locked in a deadly embrace with its nuclear neighbor India, Pakistan has come close to full-scale war on two occasions since it first exploded a nuclear bomb in 1998. As President Musharraf struggles for the security and political future of his nation, the stakes could not be higher for the world at large.

It is unprecedented for a sitting head of state to write a memoir as revelatory, detailed, and gripping as In the Line of Fire. Here, for the first time, readers can get a firsthand view of the war on terror in its central theater. President Musharraf details the manhunts for Osama and Zawahiri and their top lieutenants, complete with harrowing cat-and-mouse games, informants, interceptions, and bloody firefights. He tells the stories of the near-miss assassination attempts, not only against himself but against Shaukut Aziz (later elected prime minister) and one of his top army officers (later the vice chief of army staff), and of the abduction and beheading of Daniel Pearl -- as well as the forensic and shoe-leather investigations that uncovered the perpetrators. He details the army's mountain operations that have swept several valleys clean, and he talks about the areas of North Waziristan where al Qaeda is still operating.

Yet the war on terror is just one of the many headline-making subjects in In the Line of Fire. The full story of the events that brought President Musharraf to power in 1999 is told for the first time. He reveals new details of the 1999 confrontation with India in Kashmir (the Kargil conflict) and offers a proposal for resolving the Kashmir dispute.

He offers a portrait of Mullah Omar, with stories of Pakistan's attempts to negotiate with him. Concerning A. Q. Khan and his proliferation network, he explains what the government knew and when it knew it, and he reveals fascinating details of Khan's operations and the investigations into them.

In addition, President Musharraf takes many stances that will make news. He calls for the Muslim world to recognize Israel once a viable Palestinian state is created. He urges the repeal of Pakistan's 1979 Hudood law. He calls for the emancipation of women and for their full political equality with men. He tells the sad story of Pakistan's experience with democracy and what he has done to make it workable.

Ebook Review
In the Line of Fire is the most self-congratulatory, self-serving and arrogant books I've read in a long time, but what some people don't seem to grasp is that these reasons are what makes the book so entertaining to read. Of course the leader of a country that took power by military coup is going to produce a fictional auto-biography, but to complain about it so much misses the point. Know that you're getting a very specific version of the "truth" when you pick this book up, but at the sime time you're also getting a suspense filled page turner because you have no idea what he's going to say next.

Musharraf likens his own personal history to that of Pakistan's history as a nation, even going so far as to include commentary on the back cover that "the entire world depends upon him to succeed." While this a bit of a stretch to say the least, his story is entertaining. The complete random nature of much of the book can be frustrating for some, but it means never having to get bogged down in the details. The sections on his childhood are particularly entertaining, but the best part of the book by far is the story of how he came to power. According to Musharraf, he didn't come to power through a military coup. The Prime Minister in power in 1999 who was trying to get rid of Musharraf was the one responsible for the coup. Musharraf and the army carried out a "counter-coup" for the sake of the nation. Classic.

You may find yourself wondering why Musharraf wrote this book and who his intended audience was. This book was clearly meant for Americans. It wasn't written for his own country, and narcissism aside, for himself either. This book was written to convince Americans unsure of whether Musharraf is a "good guy" or "bad guy" that he is indeed on our side. He tries so hard to appear as America's friend in the book that it almost becomes painful at times. His desire to cultivate this image trumps the overal quality of the book because by the end, he's merely tacking on three or four page chapters on things like the emancipation of women or the "soft" image of Pakistan. The supreme irony here is that if enough of his opponents in Pakistan actually read this book, they might be able to muster enough support to overthrow Musharraf. This is the exact opposite image that he needs to present at home in order to stay in power.

Something else important to keep in mind is that Musharraf has the most unenviable job in the entire world. He has reactionary religious extremists at home that want to overthrow him on one hand, and the U.S. threatening to bomb Pakistan back to the stone age on the other. He's caught in a very tight spot with practically no room to maneuver. That he's been able to stay alive and in power for so long is truly remarkable. It's hard for me at least to be so critical of someone in that position. --By Lee L.

About the Author
Pervez Musharraf has been the president of Pakistan since 1999. As a 4-year old, he moved to Karachi upon the partition of India and creation of Pakistan, and his lifespan and career has been tied to the life of his country ever since. After attending Pakistan's military academy he became a commando in the elite Special Services Brigade, fighting in the wars with India in 1965 and 1971. He rose through the ranks to become General and Chief of Army Staff in 1998. He became president in a dramatic confrontation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and has remained in office despite two assassination attempts.

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Ebook Title: Albert Einstein A to Z
Book Publisher: Wiley (20 July, 2004)
ISBN: 0471466743
Book author: Karen C. Fox, Aries Keck
Amazon Rating: 4.5

Book Description:
Einstein was the twentieth century’s most celebrated scientist - a man who developed the theory of relativity, revolutionised physics and became an iconic genius in the popular imagination. Essays range from the reasonably scientific including the theory of relativity, to the odd and engaging, such as Einstein’s brain, his favourite jokes and films. Einstein A to Z provides a vibrant overview of the man and his achievements.

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Ebook Title: It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
Author: Lance Armstrong
Publisher: Berkley Trade; Rei Rep edition (September 4, 2001)
Paperback: 304 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425179613
ISBN-13: 978-0425179611

Ebook Description
The #1 New York Times bestseller with legs as strong as its author's. Lance Armstrong is one of the most talked about- and inspirational-sports figures of all time. He was Sports Illustrated 's 2002 Sportsman of the Year-and now, after his record-shattering string of Tour de France victories, some are proclaiming him the greatest athlete of all time. This is the book in which he shares his journey through triumph, tragedy, transformation, and transcendence. It is the story of a world-famous cyclist and his fight against cancer. This is the story of Lance Armstrong, the world-famous cyclist, and his fight against cancer.

Ebook Reviews:
People around the world have found inspiration in the story of Lance Armstrong--a world-class athlete nearly struck down by cancer, only to recover and win the Tour de France, the multiday bicycle race famous for its grueling intensity. Armstrong is a thoroughgoing Texan jock, and the changes brought to his life by his illness are startling and powerful, but he's just not interested in wearing a hero suit. While his vocabulary is a bit on the he-man side (highest compliment to his wife: "she's a stud"), his actions will melt the most hard-bitten souls: a cancer foundation and benefit bike ride, his astonishing commitment to training that got him past countless hurdles, loyalty to the people and corporations that never gave up on him. There's serious medical detail here, which may not be for the faint of heart; from chemo to surgical procedures to his wife's in vitro fertilization, you won't be spared a single x-ray, IV drip, or unfortunate side effect. Athletes and coaches everywhere will benefit from the same extraordinary detail provided about his training sessions--every aching tendon, every rainy afternoon, and every small triumph during his long recovery is here in living color. It's Not About the Bike is the perfect title for this book about life, death, illness, family, setbacks, and triumphs, but not especially about the bike. --Jill Lightner --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Denver Post
Absolutely absorbing.

USA Today, May 22, 2002
Among cancer survivors, it is known simply as The Book.

People
Inspiring.

New York Times
Fascinating.

Cincinnati Enquirer
It's not about the bike, or about the sport. It's about the soul.

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Ebook Title: Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth
Author: Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi
Publisher: Beacon Press (November 1, 1993)
Paperback: 528 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0807059099
ISBN-13: 978-0807059098

Ebook Description
Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century. In a new foreword, noted peace expert and teacher Sissela Bok urges us to adopt Gandhi's "attitude of experimenting, of tesing what will and will not bear close scrutiny, what can and cannot be adapted to new circumstances,"in order to bring about change in our own lives and communities. All royalties earned on this book are paid to the Navajivan Trust, founded by Gandhi, for use in carrying on his work.

Book Review:
Gandhi's nonviolent struggles in South Africa and India had already brought him to such a level of notoriety, adulation, and controversy that when asked to write an autobiography midway through his career, he took it as an opportunity to explain himself. Although accepting of his status as a great innovator in the struggle against racism, violence, and, just then, colonialism, Gandhi feared that enthusiasm for his ideas tended to exceed a deeper understanding. He says that he was after truth rooted in devotion to God and attributed the turning points, successes, and challenges in his life to the will of God. His attempts to get closer to this divine power led him to seek purity through simple living, dietary practices (he called himself a fruitarian), celibacy, and ahimsa, a life without violence. It is in this sense that he calls his book The Story of My Experiments with Truth, offering it also as a reference for those who would follow in his footsteps. A reader expecting a complete accounting of his actions, however, will be sorely disappointed.

Although Gandhi presents his episodes chronologically, he happily leaves wide gaps, such as the entire satyagraha struggle in South Africa, for which he refers the reader to another of his books. And writing for his contemporaries, he takes it for granted that the reader is familiar with the major events of his life and of the political milieu of early 20th-century India. For the objective story, try Yogesh Chadha's Gandhi: A Life. For the inner world of a man held as a criminal by the British, a hero by Muslims, and a holy man by Hindus, look no further than these experiments. --Brian Bruya

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