"Giffin excels at creating complex characters and stories that ask us to explore what we really want from our lives."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her own mother's warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie--a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance--and even to some degree, friendships--believing that it is always safer not to expect too much. Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined. In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.

'Thrilling... The “dizzying” story of heart surgery is every bit as important as that of the nuclear, computer or rocket ages. And now it has been given the history it deserves' James McConnachie, Sunday Times For thousands of years the human heart remained the deepest of mysteries; both home to the soul and an organ too complex to touch, let alone operate on. Then, in the late nineteenth century, medics began going where no one had dared go before. In eleven landmark operations, Thomas Morris tells us stories of triumph, reckless bravery, swaggering arrogance, jealousy and rivalry, and incredible ingenuity, from the trail-blazing ‘blue baby’ procedure to the first human heart transplant. The Matter of the Heart gives us a view over the surgeon’s shoulder, showing us the heart’s inner workings and failings. It describes both a human story and a history of risk-taking that has ultimately saved millions of lives.

Cling to life-changing truths anchored in Scripture with Heart of the Matter, a CCEF daily devotional containing 366 selections. This devotional will reorient your day, lifting your eyes toward God through brief messages of gospel hope. Change that goes deeper than the surface of our lives happens as we daily remember the truths of the gospel. Every day we need to be reminded that Jesus, God's own Son, came to this world to save us from sin, sorrow, and death. We need to remember every day how Jesus's life, death, resurrection, ascension, and promised return change the way we view ourselves and others. In these daily reflections, readers are invited to consider the profound wisdom found in the Bible, deepening their experiences with the living God and his redemptive work in their lives. In these shared practical insights, men and women will find the gospel in the midst of our emotions, thoughts, actions, and relationships, grasping consistent gospel application. Heart of the Matter will be your next treasure. Use it to begin each day with inspiration based on Scripture, free from psychological jargon, and encourage the people around you.

"A novel that will make your heart pound--anxiously, joyfully, triumphantly."--New York Times Bestselling Author, Lauren Myracle. Readers will happily sink into this emotionally grounded, contemporary young adult novel about the sudden end of one girl’s Olympic swimming dreams and the struggles she endures before realizing there are many things that define who we are. Sixteen-year-old Abby Lipman is on track to win the state swim championships and qualify for the Olympic trials when a fainting incident at a swim meet leads to the diagnosis of a deadly heart condition. Now Abby is forced to discover who she is without the one thing that’s defined her entire life. Praise for A Matter of Heart: "This engaging and fast-paced read expertly paints the world of high-school sports and the single-minded focus and commitment that some high-school athletes can have."--Booklist Dominy's excellent use of dialogue firmly grounds the novel in contemporary times. The setting thrives on details, showcasing excellent research. . . . This is recommended for Chris Lynch fans, swimming fans, and anyone interested in warning teens about the dangers of HCM.--VOYA "This is a solid look at an elite athlete who gets benched . . . An enjoyable read even for couch potatoes."--Kirkus "More than a sports novel, this book delves deep into issues of identity—how we identify ourselves separately from what we do well—and the importance of support systems while making life-altering decisions. Give this to fans of Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s “Dairy Queen” series"--School Library Journal

One of "our most insightful social observers"* cracks the great political mystery of our time: how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank turns his eye on what he calls the "thirty-year backlash"—the populist revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment. The high point of that backlash is the Republican Party's success in building the most unnatural of alliances: between blue-collar Midwesterners and Wall Street business interests, workers and bosses, populists and right-wingers. In asking "what 's the matter with Kansas?"—how a place famous for its radicalism became one of the most conservative states in the union—Frank, a native Kansan and onetime Republican, seeks to answer some broader American riddles: Why do so many of us vote against our economic interests? Where's the outrage at corporate manipulators? And whatever happened to middle-American progressivism? The questions are urgent as well as provocative. Frank answers them by examining pop conservatism—the bestsellers, the radio talk shows, the vicious political combat—and showing how our long culture wars have left us with an electorate far more concerned with their leaders' "values" and down-home qualities than with their stands on hard questions of policy. A brilliant analysis—and funny to boot—What's the Matter with Kansas? presents a critical assessment of who we are, while telling a remarkable story of how a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs came to convince a nation that they spoke on behalf of the People. *Los Angeles Times

Getting to the Heart of the Matter is about putting spiritual principles in action so that they can benefit your life. Many people use words like faith, love, and hope, but they have no clue of how to translate that into their own benefit. There are many remedies available to treat mental and physical ailments like depression, anxiety, and a general frustration with life. But how does one remedy their spirit? Author Juana Wooldridge explains that by using the principles in the book, one can change the way he or she interprets and responds to the situations that impact our lives. This book is easy to read and the spiritual principles are broken down to allow for practical and meaningful application. Ms. Wooldridge uses her training background to create a sound and easy to comprehend "spiritual lesson plan."