Eleven stories of dread, introductions and afterwords from "Maps in a mirror."

Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man" has been celebrated, criticized, maligned, suppressed, and co-opted, but Hitchens marvels at its forethought and revels in its contentiousness. In this book, he demonstrates how Paine's book forms the philosophical cornerstone of the U.S.

In this inspirational memoir, Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington explains how filling in the gaps of his past led him to discover a new passion: helping those less fortunate. DNA testing revealed that Washington was descended from the Mende people, who today live in Sierra Leone. For many people, the story would end with the results of the search; for Isaiah, it had just begun. Discovering his roots has given him a new purpose, to lead an inspirational life defined by faith and charity. After visiting Sierra Leone, and researching the country and its needs, Washington forged a strong relationship with the Mende people, and was inducted as Chief Gondobay Manga in May 2006. He established The Gondobay Manga Foundation to institute many improvements suggested by the country's people, addressing educational concerns, practical issues (road building, water supply, and electricity), and rehabilitative projects. Dual citizenship has been a dream of African-Americans such as W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, but Washington became the first to realize that honor in 2008. A twofold milestone, it was also the first time an African president granted citizenship based on DNA.

The story of the man who invented the Erector Set.C. Gilbert was all of these, but he made his name by refusing to grow up.

An enraged New York mob boss sends hit men to find a seaman who killed his son in a barrom fight. One demented killer in particular leads the chase over land and sea to hunt down the Able Bodied Seaman. They both know the boss's son was killed in self defense, but that doesn't seem to matter. Throughout the chase the gullible seaman changes and primitive survival instincts surface. The final confrontation takes place in India where a balance of power is established and a metaphysical force takes over to make the necessary inevitable changes.