Honeymoon in Tehran: Two Years Of Love And Danger In Iran

By Azadeh Moaveni
"In this intimate look at the modern Iranian middle class, Moaveni, a journalist and the author of Lipstick Jihad (2005), blends her own experiences in Iran with her primary reporting subject: the dubious Tehran reaction to the ascendance of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. ...Moaveni tracks the country s increased social conservatism, and reveals both expensive marriage traditions and governmental manipulation. This perfect blend of political commentary and social observation is an excellent choice for readers interested in going beyond the headlines to gain an in-depth understanding of twenty-first-century Iran. "
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And Then There's This: How Stories Live And Die In Viral Culture

By Bill Wasik
"Wasik, senior editor at Harper's, an arts and culture critic, and the mastermind behind the Internet-generated flash mobs of 2003, presents a lively and clarifying overview of the surging world of blogs, YouTube, and social networking with its armies of faux friends. In a cyber-focused variation on Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point (2000), Wasik coins useful terms and elucidates the consequences of the democratization of "culture making" and "cultural monitoring." In his anatomy of the "hive-mind," Wasik ponders our receptivity to "nanofame" and contemplates viral culture's addictiveness, snarkiness, and parasitic tendencies."
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Grand Illusion: The Fantasy Of Voter Choice In A Two Party Tyranny

By Theresa Amato
"An examination of the obstacles that independent and third-party candidates face while running for office....Despite a rich national history of upstart parties and non-mainstream candidates, the two-party system has become so entrenched in the U.S. political arena that it seems natural to citizens. Amato argues that in order to maintain their political dominance, the two parties have erected barriers that disallow independent and third-party candidates from competing on a level playing field....
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Unfriendly Fire: How The Gay Ban Undermines The Military And Weakens America

By Nathaniel Frank
"Wide-ranging critique of the U.S. military's controversial policy. Frank (History/New York Univ.) quickly and effectively sketches the long history of gays in the military, including many interesting details....The bulk of the book, however, is taken up with the debate over the current "don't ask, don't tell" guidelines, enacted into federal law in the early days of President Clinton's administration. TFrank dismantles many of the most vicious prejudices; that gays in the military would increase the risk of service members getting AIDS; that they would victimize or "recruit" naïve soldiers; by debunking them with hard facts....The book's most effective section addresses the policy's national-security implications....Frank builds a solid case that the ban on gays in the military is not only wrong, it is endangering the country..."
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Womenomics; Write Your Own Rules For Success

By Claire Shipman and Katty Kay
" This collaboration between broadcasting powerhouses Shipman and Kay gives career women explicit permission to demand the balance that's been missing in their lives. The authors assert that after decades of trying to outdo men or fighting the "Mommy Wars" in the office trenches of the 1980s and 1990s, women have gained enough corporate clout to start changing the workplace to suit their needs....Filled with pragmatic and optimistic steps, this book will inspire readers to set in motion a flexibility-driven business revolution that can benefit all women and men, families and workforces."
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In The Graveyard Of Empires; America's War In Afghanistan

By Seth G. Jones
"...A scholarly account of America's unsuccessful effort to avoid the same fate as three other great powers who tried to tame Afghanistan....
Jones admits that America is trying to correct its mistake but rightly wonders if the government will be able to devote as much effort, time and money as was devoted to a similar mistake not yet corrected in Iraq. An impressively researched, often grueling illustration of how U.S. leaders failed once again to learn from experience.."
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10,001 Ways To Live Large On A Small Budget

By Wise Bread Writers
"...The bloggers at the personal finance site WiseBread.com offer thousands of ways to spend less while still enjoying life. The frugal living part includes ideas ranging from gourmet cooking on a shoestring to cheap sunburn remedies. There are money-saving tips on travel, entertainment, and most other aspects of life. Some of the advice, though (e.g., 21 uses for beer), seems a bit off point. The book's second half is devoted to personal finance topics like budgeting, credit, housing, and even how to hire and/or fire a financial adviser. .."
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The Sages; Warren Buffet, George Soros, Paul Volcker And The Maelstrom Of Markets

By Charles R. Morris
"...The best-selling author of The Trillion Dollar Meltdown examines the perspectives and principles of three pillars of the financial world, as well as their judgments on the current economic crisis and their opinions as to what should be the best path to recovery.."
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The Student Loan Scam; The Most Oppressive Debt In U.S. History---And How We Can Fight Back

By Alan Collinge

"..Collinge is a writer and political activist committed to convincing Congress to restore standard consumer protections to student loans. His devotion to the student-loan cause is prompted by his terrible experiences arising from $50,000 in student loans from Sallie Mae at graduation in 1998 that were subsequently deemed in default, and with interest and penalties, the balance due in mid-2005 mushroomed to $103,000. We learn that Sallie Mae, the dominant student loan company in the U.S., was initially a government-sponsored entity until it was privatized in 1997. Its success stems from its large lobbying influence in Congress and its extensive university agreements whereby schools profit when their students borrow from Sallie Mae. The author s solutions include a need for bankruptcy protection on student loans that Sallie Mae supports, and he concludes with practical advice for borrowers, including always using federal loans before private loans."

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The Trophy Kids Grow Up; How The Millennial Generation Is Shaking Up The Workplace

By Ron Alsop
"...Alsop, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal , explores the emergence of the 80 million strong millennial generation into the workplace and the resulting ramifications in this insightful and in-depth look at Generation Y. ..Millennials have a high sense of entitlement but are also philanthropic and community-minded; they set a high premium on career success but are incorrigible job-hoppers and rarely exhibit loyalty to any particular place of employment; their commitment is to self-determination and to garnering as many skills as possible before moving on in pursuit of their "dream job." Based on data collected from interviews with student recruiters, particularly in management consulting, and at accounting and investment banking firms, Alsop explains how companies can take the lead in understanding and reaching out to Generation Y and what organizations can expect in their new hires. .."
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