Cultural Writing. Political Science. Translated from the Italian by Jeremy Parzen Aaron Thomas. In this history of Italian culture and philosophy from the founding of the Italian Republic to the present day, philosopher Remo Bodei examines Italian society in one of the most exhilarating and intriguing periods of its history. Following World War II and the defeat of Fascism, the reconstruction of the country and onset of the Cold War brought new challenges to Italy. The Italian people--whose sense of national identity has always been precarious--were divided between the competing political passions and ideologies of Catholicism and Communism, and compelled to negotiate these differences against the backdrop of both American cultural and economic hegemony and the utopian enticements of a more equitable society purportedly represented by the Soviet Union. Alternating between imaginative historical research and sharp theoretical analysis, Bodei reconstructs this process of cultural negotiation, showing how the ethos of the Italian people was parsed in specific spheres, such as the family, the military, political parties, religion, the judiciary, and organized crime. He examines both the ways in which philosophers have sought to make sense of the ethical and political problems the Italian people have had to confront, as well as the decisions effectively taken by individuals and groups. Bodei concludes with some reflections upon the difficulties and challenges that Italy faces in an increasingly interdependent world.

Anne Geddes' photographs of Celine Dion with newborn infants.

"This is the colorful and dramatic biography of two of America's most controversial entrepreneurs: Moses Louis Annenberg, 'the racing wire king, ' who built his fortune in racketeering, invested it in publishing, and lost much of it in the biggest tax evasion case in United States history; and his son, Walter, launcher of TV Guide and Seventeen magazines and former ambassador to Great Britain."--Jacket.

Mary Childers's intimate and frank memoir tells the story of growing up in a family in which five out of seven children dropped out of high school and four different fathers dropped out of sight. With this lyrical and often humorous examination of how she became the first person in her family to attend college, Childers illuminates the causes of welfare dependence, generational poverty, and submission to a popular culture that values sexuality more than self-esteem and self-sufficiency.