life

Looks back billions of years to the cauldron of life's beginnings, chronicling its evolution from single-celled creatures through the age of dinosaurs and on to the complexity of the plants and animals that exist today.

Presents Fulghum's thoughts on the secret life (that nonstop epic playing inside our heads, where all our best-laid dreams are hatched), on barbershop mythology, the shifting signifcance of nicknames over the course of a lifetime, or the circumstances of one's own conception. Contemplate along with him the revelations afforded by ironing a shirt, a rousing session of musical chairs, or the ethical struggle to decide a poinsettia's fate; acknowledge that love indeed transcends the ravages of time and that some family secrets can be gifts of joy.

Examines the geology, atmosphere, and weather of the planet Earth and how they affect its life forms.

A collection of seventy-five essays, based on the National Public Radio series where ordinary people and known figures--including Yo Yo Ma, Eli Wiesel, and Mary Chapin Carpenter--describe their personal philosophies, and features selections entitled "I Will Take My Voice Back," "The Right to be Fully American," and many others.

Harry Haller, a joyless, reclusive intellectual, finally learns to reconcile the warring parts of his personality after meeting Hermine, a woman who knows how to enjoy life.

A collection of essays by Americans, including Colin Powell, Bill Gates, and John Updike, in which the authors explore their personal beliefs.

A collection of essays and stories in which a do-it-yourself surburban dad saves money by performing home surgery, a man who is loved too much flees the heavyweight champion of the world, a bitter Santa abuses the elves, a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral and so on.

A young girl on a train en route to her grandmother's house in the country, reflects on traveling through the world and life.