"Dear Barbara, Dear Lynne is a heartbreakingly tender story of the desire for parenthood and the deepening friendship between two women who have known each other only on paper." "Barbara Shulgold and Lynne Sipiora met through the mail when one of them responded to a desperate letter the other had written to Resolve, a newsletter for infertile couples. These two brave women, complete strangers, bound by their common struggle to have a baby, began a correspondence that fortified them through three years of infertility traumas and adoption struggles - relying on each other for the support and understanding only another woman could bring. At first tentative, later deeply loving, the letters are an astounding document of friendship and the journey to motherhood. Dear Barbara, Dear Lynne is a testimony to the human spirit, the power of shared travail, and the joy of finally holding one's face against the soft, sweet skin of a day-old infant."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Immediate and evocative, letters witness and fasten history, catching events as they happen," write Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler in their introduction to this remarkable book. In more than 400 letters from both famous figures and ordinary citizens, Letters of the Century encapsulates the people and places, events and trends that shaped our nation during the last 100 years. Here is Mark Twain's hilarious letter of complaint to the head of Western Union, an ecstatic letter from a young Charlie Chaplin upon receiving his first movie contract, Einstein's letter to Franklin Roosevelt warning about atomic warfare, Mark Rudd's "generation gap" letter to the president of Columbia University during the student riots of the 60s, and a letter from young Bill Gates imploring hobbyists not to share software so that innovators can make some money... In these pages, our century's most celebrated figures become everyday people and everyday people become part of history. Here is a veteran's wrenching letter left at the Vietnam Wall, a poignant correspondence between two women trying to become mothers, a heart-breaking letter from an AIDS sufferer telling his parents how he wants to be buried, an indignant e-mail from a PC user to his on-line server... "Letters," write Grunwald and Adler, "give history a voice." Arranged chronologically by decade, illustrated with over 100 photographs, Letters of the Century creates an extraordinary chronicle of our history, through the voices of the men and women who have lived its greatest moments.

Historical events of the last three centuries come alive through these women’s singular correspondences—often their only form of public expression. In 1775, Rachel Revere tries to send financial aid to her husband, Paul, in a note that is confiscated by the British; First Lady Dolley Madison tells her sister about rescuing George Washington’s portrait during the War of 1812; one week after JFK’s assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy pens a heartfelt letter to Nikita Khrushchev; and on September 12, 2001, a schoolgirl writes a note of thanks to a New York City firefighter, asking him, “Were you afraid?” The letters gathered here also offer fresh insight into the personal milestones in women’s lives. Here is a mid-nineteenth-century missionary describing a mastectomy performed without anesthesia; Marilyn Monroe asking her doctor to spare her ovaries in a handwritten note she taped to her stomach before appendix surgery; an eighteen-year-old telling her mother about her decision to have an abortion the year after Roe v. Wade; and a woman writing to her parents and in-laws about adopting a Chinese baby. With more than 400 letters and over 100 stunning photographs, Women’s Letters is a work of astonishing breadth and scope, and a remarkable testament to the women who lived–and made–history. From the Hardcover edition.

Donation December 03.

The inside scoop... for when you want more than the official line! Once you decide to start a family, you may think pregnancy will occur quickly. However, it takes the average healthy young couple six months to a year to conceive. This guide helps you get in the best possible shape for conceiving, discussing conception and misconceptions in depth. If pregnancy doesn't happen "automatically," you're not alone; one in six couples have fertility problems. The Unofficial Guide to Getting Pregnant provides clear, unbiased guidance on the many confusing medical, emotional, and financial issues related to getting pregnant. This book objectively reviews state-of-the-art infertility treatments and procedures, including fertility drugs, corrective surgery, IVF, and the other assisted reproductive technologies. It also covers third-party procedures, such as sperm and egg donation and surrogacy. Vital Information few resources reveal--information that can help you zero in on the most effective, economical approach for you. Insider Secrets about choosing a specialist, potential legal issues with third-party procedures, and alternative treatments that might work. Money-Saving Information to help you compare the cost of different treatments, decipher state laws on insurance coverage, and more. Time-Saving Tips to avoid delays in diagnosing and treating problems while your biological clock is ticking. The Scoop on the newest fertility drugs, microsurgical techniques, and assisted reproductive technologies.

Betty Jean Lifton, whose Lost and Found has become a bible to adoptees and to those who would understand the adoption experience, explores further the inner world of the adopted person. She breaks new ground as she traces the adopted child's lifelong struggle to form an authentic sense of self. And she shows how both the symbolic and the literal search for roots becomes a crucial part of the journey toward wholeness.