"Thoughtful and convincingly argued . . . Rauch's impressive book is as enthusiastic an encomium to marriage as anyone, gay or straight, could write." — David J. Garrow, The Washington Post Book World In May 2004, gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts, but it remains a divisive and contentious issue across America. As liberals and conservatives mobilize around this issue, no one has come forward with a more compelling, comprehensive, and readable case for gay marriage than Jonathan Rauch. In this book, he puts forward a clear and honest manifesto explaining why gay marriage is important—even crucial—to the health of marriage in America today, grounding his argument in commonsense, mainstream values and confronting social conservatives on their own turf. Marriage, he observes, is more than a bond between individuals; it also links them to the community at large. Excluding some people from the prospect of marriage not only is harmful to them but also is corrosive of the institution itself. Gay marriage, he shows, is a "win-win-win" for strengthening the bonds that tie us together and for remaining true to our national heritage of fairness and humaneness toward all.

National Book Award winner Jonathan Kozol is best known for his fifty years of work among our nation’s poorest and most vulnerable children. Now, in the most personal book of his career, he tells the story of his father’s life and work as a nationally noted specialist in disorders of the brain and his astonishing ability, at the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, to explain the causes of his sickness and then to narrate, step-by-step, his slow descent into dementia. Dr. Harry Kozol was born in Boston in 1906. Classically trained at Harvard and Johns Hopkins, he was an unusually intuitive clinician with a special gift for diagnosing interwoven elements of neurological and psychiatric illnesses in highly complicated and creative people. “One of the most intense relationships of his career,” his son recalls, “was with Eugene O’Neill, who moved to Boston in the last years of his life so my father could examine him and talk with him almost every day.” At a later stage in his career, he evaluated criminal defendants including Patricia Hearst and the Boston Strangler, Albert H. DeSalvo, who described to him in detail what was going through his mind while he was killing thirteen women. But The Theft of Memory is not primarily about a doctor’s public life. The heart of the book lies in the bond between a father and his son and the ways that bond intensified even as Harry’s verbal skills and cogency progressively abandoned him. “Somehow,” the author says, “all those hours that we spent trying to fathom something that he wanted to express, or summon up a vivid piece of seemingly lost memory that still brought a smile to his eyes, left me with a deeper sense of intimate connection with my father than I’d ever felt before.” Lyrical and stirring, The Theft of Memory is at once a tender tribute to a father from his son and a richly colored portrait of a devoted doctor who lived more than a century.

From the chief medical correspondent of ABC News, an eloquent, heartbreaking, yet hopeful memoir of surviving the suicide of a loved one, examining this dangerous epidemic and offering first-hand knowledge and advice to help family and friends find peace. Jennifer Ashton, M.D., has witnessed firsthand the impact of a loved one's suicide. When her ex-husband killed himself soon after their divorce, her world--and that of her children--was shattered. Though she held a very public position with one of the world's largest media companies, she was hesitant to speak about the personal trauma that she and her family experienced following his death. A woman who addresses the public regularly on intimate health topics, she was uncertain of revealing her devastating loss--the most painful thing she'd ever experienced. But with the high-profile suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, Dr. Ashton recognized the importance of talking about her experience and the power of giving voice to her grief. She shared her story with her Good Morning America family on air--an honest, heartbreaking revelation that provided comfort and solace to others, like her and her family, who have been left behind. In Life After Suicide, she opens up completely for the first time, hoping that her experience and words can inspire those faced with the unthinkable to persevere. Part memoir and part comforting guide that incorporates the latest insights from researchers and health professionals, Life After Suicide is both a call to arms against this dangerous, devastating epidemic, and an affecting story of personal grief and loss. In addition, Dr. Ashton includes stories from others who have survived the death of a loved one by their own hand, showing how they survived the unthinkable and demonstrating the vital roles that conversation and community play in recovering from the suicide of a loved one. The end result is a raw and revealing exploration of a subject that's been taboo for far too long, providing support, information, and comfort for those attempting to make sense of their loss and find a way to heal.

Feel Better. . .Live Better Scientific discoveries are unlocking the mysteries of our emotional lives. Every week brings us new information on the environmental, hormonal, genetic, and chemical factors that affect our feelings, and an ever-expanding repertoire of methods to manage specific emotional conditions. But how can we apply this cutting-edge research to our own lives? In The Emotional Revolution, Norman E. Rosenthal, psychiatrist, researcher, and specialist in the fields of psychopharmacology and psychobiology, offers a comprehensive guide to these exciting breakthroughs. He explores the latest findings about the body mechanisms that create emotions--and why our feelings can sometimes go out of control. He also offers simple self-help strategies and evaluates dozens of the newest treatments--both traditional and alternative--that can help with everything from depression and addiction to anxiety and excessive anger. Here is fascinating, up-to-the-minute information you won't find in any other single resource, including: * Clues to the biological basis of monogamy * A new link between depression and heart disease, and what this means for the treatment of both conditions * How simple patterns of eye movements can help alleviate painful memories * How taking a commonly-used blood pressure medication can help you cope with trauma * How lying in the dark releases a hormone that can alleviate anxiety and craving * The surprising health benefits of friendship and religion * The deadly dangers of anger * The health-promoting powers of love The first book to combine scientific research with prescriptive guidelines for the general reader, The Emotional Revolution is your guide to understanding the complexities of human feelings--and improving your life. "A well-researched, clearly-written, and absorbing book. Highly recommended for anyone who's ever seen a psychiatrist--or who hasn't!" --Dean Hamer, Ph.D., author of The Science of Desire Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University. A practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Rosenthal has been listed in The Best Doctors in the U.S. For twenty years, he was a senior researcher in psychiatry and psychobiology at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has appeared on 20/20, CNN, National Public Radio, The Today Show, CBS Morning News, and Good Morning, America . Dr. Rosenthal lives and practices in Rockville, Maryland. Visit his Web site at www.normanrosenthal.com.