"I should probably mention something right now before this story goes any further: my name is Theodora Grumman, and I am a liar." It's hard for Thea to write four truths a day in the notebook her mother gave her for the summer. Especially when her grandparents' house on the Jersey Shore is even more packed with family than usual, and her cousin Jocelyn wont leave her alone. Jocelyn just might be the world's neatest and nosiest seven-year-old, and she wants to know what's in Thea's notebook. But Thea won't tell anyone about the secret she has promised to keep--or how she lost her best friend (Truth #12), whose name was Gwen. Now Thea has to babysit in the afternoons, and all Jocelyn wants to do is spy on people. Neither of them expect to see Aunt Ellen and Aunt Celia at the boardwalk in the middle of the day, or for their aunts to lie and insist they were at work. Could it be Thea's not the only one in the family keeping secrets this summer?

READERS’ REVIEWS “This is a tremendously useful book. If you apply the book sincerely, your outlook and understanding of what is happening in your life (especially the portions where you are struggling) will change. A deep book [...] based on principles rather than simple prescriptions. The writing is simple and direct rather than flowery. It is clear that the author has implemented what he says in his own life. There are quick and effective action points at the end of most chapters. Some of the individual chapters are themselves worth the price of the book. If you are the sort of person who likes something both practical and thoughtful, do buy and read this book.” – Balaji Srinivasan (not Balajis) “I am amazed at Luca Dellanna’s ability to observe, compile, and articulate 99 very actionable life principles here. Each chapter describes the rule in a way that makes you think and then summarizes the Action. It’s filled with DEEP insights yet VERY readable.” – Theresia Tanzil Absolutely brilliant. You might have grasped some of these concepts before but having them structured and in writing makes all the difference [...] I will surely recommend it to friends and co-workers. – Alberto Pisanello A very thoughtful piece of writing, deep and wiring!” – David Krejca “Luca Dellanna’s new book “100 Truths” is super tight! [...] Practical, directional advice.” – Hari Meyyappan “100 Truths has been a game changer.” – Adam English “A thoughtfully written book in very straightforward language.” – A.L. Peevey “Excellent book with formulas to increase the chances of achieving what we want to be in life. Luca writes directly and leads the reader into Action.” – Edgar 100 MENTAL MODELS TO EASE YOUR WAY THROUGH LIFE I wasted years of my life because I did not know its rules. I did not know the rules of relationships, careers, health, or happiness. Then, through hard work, talking with mentors, and trial & error, I uncovered some of them. Now, I lay these rules out for you. In this book, you will find 100 of the lessons I learned. It will still require some work from your side to internalize them and put them into practice, but at least it will make the process easier for you by letting you avoid committing the same mistakes as I did. THE TITLES OF SOME OF THE CHAPTERS INSIDE INCLUDE: - Problems grow the size needed for you to acknowledge them. - Taking a course of Action makes it easier to take it again, for better or for worse. - Other people’s expectations aren’t your problem. - Hating those who despise what you want will prevent you from obtaining it. - Discipline is freedom. - Extraordinary people are extraordinarily selective. - Successful people, at some point in their life, committed to the hard choice. - Self-respect is the compass for change that matters. - The standards you have today determine the life you will have in a few years. - People are extremely good at succeeding at their priorities and extremely dishonest about them. - Your problems aren’t different. - Listening is about not projecting your own worldviews.

When four very different small-town Delaware high school girls are forced to join a mother-daughter book club over summer vacation, they end up learning about more than just the books they read.

An award-winning advertising director shares advice on how to find enthusiasm and a sense of purpose in one's career, in a guide for generation-X professionals that makes recommendations about living a lifestyle in accordance with one's salary, setting high goals, and pursuing meaningful achievements. Original. 35,000 first printing.

With his stunning debut novel, She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman's painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you're the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you're into both survival of the fittest and being your brother's keeper--if you've promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman's gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey's entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she'd had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother's watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother's gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn't get it. But Dominick's talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick's lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily 's Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather's handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico's fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man's confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth's of Domenico's life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity's deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.

How do you get away with the murder of 11 million people? The answer is simple—and disturbing. You lie to them. Learn how you can become an informed, passionate citizen who demands honesty and integrity from your leaders. In this nonpartisan New York Times bestselling book, Andy Andrews emphasizes that seeking and discerning the truth is of critical importance, and that believing lies is the most dangerous thing you can do. You’ll be challenged to become a more careful student of the past, seeking accurate, factual accounts of events that illuminate choices our world faces now. By considering how the Nazi German regime was able to carry out over eleven million institutional killings between 1933 and 1945, Andrews advocates for an informed population that demands honesty and integrity from its leaders and from each other. This short, thought-provoking book poses questions like: What happens to a society in which truth is absent? How are we supposed to tell the difference between the “good guys" and the “bad guys”? How does the answer to this question affect our country, families, faith, and values? Does it matter that millions of ordinary citizens aren't participating in the decisions that shape the future of our country? Which is more dangerous: politicians with ill intent, or the too-trusting population that allows such people to lead them? This is a wake-up call: we must become informed, passionate citizens or suffer the consequences of our own ignorance and apathy. We can no longer measure a leader’s worth by the yardsticks provided by the left or the right. Instead, we must use an unchanging standard: the pure, unvarnished truth.

What's really important in the Bible? Find out with 150 Need-to-Know Bible Facts, a powerful new survey of scripture truth featuring a devotional flair. In quick, easy-to-read fashion, this little book provides 150 concise truths--like "God Created Everything," "In the Beginning, the World Was Perfect," "Sin Is Destructive," and "We Are Important to God." Each truth is supported by a scripture from the New King James Version of the Bible, and explained by a brief devotional thought. 150 Need-to-Know Bible Facts is useful for both new believers and long-time Christians who want a "refresher course" on the faith.