A triumphant tale of a young woman and her difficult childhood, The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience, redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and wonderfully vibrant. Jeannette Walls was the second of four children raised by anti-institutional parents in a household of extremes.

Authentic Patriotism presents a provocative, inspiring account of our neglected American ideals and the people who are living them today. Patriotism has become a loaded word: one that is wielded against people with whom we might disagree, or whose cultural origins don't match our own. But our founding fathers--Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and others--saw patriotism as a dynamic force: an act of service, in an evolving nation that defined its purpose by offering all people a better way of life. In Authentic Patriotism, author and award-winning journalist Stephen P. Kiernan explores the original ideals that have been lost in our current climate, where war and economic turmoil have eroded our sense of civic obligation. Kiernan describes "a nation adrift," out of touch with its origins--and then introduces a range of inspiring people who have revived our national purpose by taking action: - The out-of-work college graduate who led an economic and environmental renewal of her blighted home community. - The retired executive who pioneered a revolutionary concept in health care for people without insurance. - The minister who created a legendary choir, with the goal of uniting children of different races, genders, and classes in one voice. - The family who donated their daughter's heart, so that another might live. These and other "New Americans" are profiled in a book that offers hope, ideas, examples, and practical resources for readers who want to renew the American spirit.

From the critically acclaimed author of Universe of Two and The Baker’s Secret, a novel of hope, healing and the redemptive power of art, set against the turmoil of post–World War II France and inspired by the life of Marc Chagall One month after the end of World War II, amid the jubilation in the streets of France, are throngs of people stunned by the recovery work ahead. Every bridge, road and rail line, every church and school and hospital, has been destroyed. Disparate factions—from Communists, to Resistance fighters, to federalists, to those who supported appeasement of the Nazis—must somehow unite to rebuild their devastated country. Asher lost his family during the war, and in revenge served as an assassin in the Resistance. Burdened by grief and guilt, he wanders through the blasted countryside, shocked by what has become of his life. When he arrives at the Château Guerin, all he seeks is a decent meal. Instead he finds a sanctuary, an oasis. The people there are every bit as damaged as he is, but they are calming themselves and recovering, inch by inch, by turning sand into glass, and glass into windows for the bombed cathedrals of France. It’s a volatile place, and these former warriors manage their trauma in different ways. But they are helped by women full of courage and affection. Asher turns out to have a gift for making windows. He decides to hide the fact that he is Jewish so the devout Catholics who own the château will not expel him. As the secrets of the château’s residents become known one by one, they experience more heated conflict and greater challenges. And as Asher kindles his talents for glasswork, his recovery will lead the way for them all.

"Graduating from Harvard at the height of World War II, brilliant mathematician Charlie Fish is assigned to the Manhattan Project. Working with some of the age's greatest scientific minds, including J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Leo Szilard, Charlie is assigned the task of designing and building the detonator of the atomic bomb. As he performs that work Charlie suffers a crisis of conscience, which his wife, Brenda--unaware of the true nature of Charlie's top-secret task--mistakes as self-doubt. She urges him to set aside his qualms and continue. Once the bombs strike Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the feelings of culpability devastate him and Brenda. At the war's end, Charlie receives a scholarship to pursue a PhD in physics at Stanford--an opportunity he and Brenda hope will allow them a fresh start. But the past proves inescapable. All any of his new colleagues can talk about is the bomb, and what greater atomic weapons might be on the horizon. Haunted by guilt, Charlie and Brenda leave Stanford and decide to dedicate the rest of their lives to making amends for the evil he helped to birth into the world. Based on the life of the actual mathematician Charles B. Fisk."--Provided by publisher.

From the critically acclaimed author of Universe of Two and The Baker’s Secret, a novel of hope, healing, and the redemptive power of art, set against the turmoil of post-World War II France and inspired by the life of Marc Chagall “[A] spellbinding fable of sanctuary, art, and recovery.” — Booklist (starred review) World War II is over. Amid jubilation in the streets of France, however, there are throngs of people stunned by the recovery work ahead. Every bridge, road, and rail line, every church and school and hospital, has been destroyed. Disparate factions—from Communists, to Resistance fighters, to those who supported appeasement of the Nazis—must somehow unite and rebuild their devastated country. Asher lost his family during the war, and in revenge served as an assassin in the Resistance. Burdened by grief and guilt, he wanders through the blasted countryside, stunned by what has become of his life. When he arrives at le Château Guerin, all he seeks is a decent meal. Instead he finds a sanctuary, an oasis even though everyone there is as damaged as him. The people there are calming themselves, and recovering inch by inch, by turning sand into stained glass, and then into windows for the bombed cathedrals of France. The chateau is a volatile place, and these former warriors are as hard, and fragile, as glass. Each man carries secrets from the war too -- Asher has chosen to hide his Jewish faith so he will not be expelled by the devout Catholics who own the chateau. But all of the damaged men are guided by women of courage and affection. And Asher turns out to have a gift for making windows. As the secrets of the chateau’s residents become known one by one, they experience more heated conflict and greater challenges. Yet when they work together in common purpose, they put their fighting aside. And as Asher recovers, he finds a way to turn the recovery of broken men into the healing of a broken country.

A courageous young noblewoman risks her life to hide French resistance fighters; seventy years later, her granddaughter visits the family’s abandoned chateau and uncovers shocking secrets from the past. Gisèle Duchant guards a secret that could cost her life. Tunnels snake through the hill under her family’s medieval chateau in Normandy. Now, with Hitler’s army bearing down, her brother and several friends are hiding in the tunnels, resisting the German occupation of France. But when German soldiers take over the family’s château, Gisèle is forced to host them as well—while harboring the resistance fighters right below their feet. Taking in a Jewish friend’s baby, she convinces the Nazis that it is her child, ultimately risking everything for the future of the child. When the German officers begin to suspect her deception, an unlikely hero rescues both her and the child. A present day story weaves through the past one as Chloe Sauver, Gisèle’s granddaughter, arrives in Normandy. After calling off her engagement with a political candidate, Chloe pays a visit to the chateau to escape publicity and work with a documentary filmmaker, Riley, who has uncovered a fascinating story about Jews serving in Hitler’s army. Riley wants to research Chloe’s family history and the lives that were saved in the tunnels under their house in Normandy. Chloe is floored—her family isn’t Jewish, for one thing, and she doesn’t know anything about tunnels or the history of the house. But as she begins to explore the dark and winding passageways beneath the chateau, nothing can prepare her for the shock of what she and Riley discover… With emotion and intrigue, Melanie Dobson brings World War II France to life in this beautiful novel about war, family, sacrifice, and the secrets of the past.

Two motherless sisters--Bean and Liz--are shuttled to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that's been in their family for generations. When school starts in the fall, Bean easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz becomes increasingly withdrawn. Then something happens to Liz and Bean is left to challenge the injustice of the adult world.