In this second volume, author Andrew Och continues his travels to "to nearly every city, town, village, home, school, church, birthplace, cemetery, train station, farm, plantation, library, museum, general store, town center and cottage" that relates to America's first ladies from Edith Roosevelt, wife of Theodore, to Melania Trump.

As an educator, the level of curiosity I have about the world around me is boundless. I am usually invigorated by the events that happen around the world be it bad or good. I have, for long believed that there’s nothing ordinary about the events that happen to man, but also a fact is that the issues that face the world today aren’t technical problems that require sophisticated means of resolution. Society is built by values and attitudes. I am convinced that a change in attitude and beliefs can fundamentally tilt the arc of history toward a better end. When I came close to completing my doctoral studies—during the Coronavirus pandemic that brought all of the world to its knees the lockdown let me have an opportunity to pause and reflect on a lot of things. Most importantly, how do we fit in the large scheme as mankind. I asked, ‘What’s the purpose of life?” I believe I might have found the answer: We are here to witness. To partake in the co-creation of the Universe. We are here to make the world better, more unified, and more ordered for the benefit of everything and everyone that exists and ever will. That is the purpose of life.

Contains fascinating facts about disappearances, including missing persons, lost worlds, extinct species, and more.

Widely respected and admired, Philip Fisher is among the most influential investors of all time. His investment philosophies, introduced almost forty years ago, are not only studied and applied by today's financiers and investors, but are also regarded by many as gospel. This book is invaluable reading and has been since it was first published in 1958. The updated paperback retains the investment wisdom of the original edition and includes the perspectives of the author's son Ken Fisher, an investment guru in his own right in an expanded preface and introduction "I sought out Phil Fisher after reading his Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits...A thorough understanding of the business, obtained by using Phil's techniques...enables one to make intelligent investment commitments." —Warren Buffet

What if you could do it all again? The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver is a Sci Fi/Metaphysical journey about time travel, second chances, what life was really like in the 1970s, and one man's chance at redemption. Thomas Weaver was an ordinary kid, coming of age in the seventies, when a tragedy changed his life. Forty years later, at the end of a life forever changed, Thomas gives up and takes his own life. He is surprised to immediately open his eyes and find himself back in his teenage bedroom, in his teenage body, with all memories intact. The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver asks the question, "What would you do differently, if you could live your whole life over?" With a tragedy to avoid, a serial killer in training, a girl he grows close to, and trying to figure out why he has been given a second chance, there's a lot happening in Thomas Weaver's second life.

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.