Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

“I present to you . . . the truth about this man’s death and my life.” Baltimore, 1849. The body of Edgar Allan Poe has been buried in an unmarked grave. The public, the press, and even Poe’s own family and friends accept the conclusion that Poe was a second-rate writer who met a disgraceful end as a drunkard. Everyone, in fact, seems to believe this except a young Baltimore lawyer named Quentin Clark, an ardent... (more)

The Rose Labyrinth

by Titania Hardie

From bestselling British author Titania Hardie comes a mystical fiction debut that takes readers on a romantic journey from Elizabethan England to modern-day London where a centuries-old secret awaits. Before his death in 1609, Queen Elizabeth's spiritual consultant, astrologer, and scientific advisor John Dee hid many of his most astonishing written works, believing that the world was not yet prepared to face... (more)

The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country

The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country

by Howard Fineman

" The Thirteen American Arguments is a thought-provoking, engaging study of the great American debate, and a highly worthwhile read. "–RealClearPolitics.com “Insightful and enjoyable . . . . In The Thirteen American Arguments , Howard Fineman lifts readers above the fog of modern politics . . . and offers a unique vantage point from which to see that the debates that shape American politics are timeless and... (more)

A Rulebook for Arguments

by Anthony Weston

Updated examples, streamlined text, and the chapter on definition reworked in a rule-based format strengthen this already strong volume. Readers familiar with the previous edition will find a text that retains all the features that make Rulebook ideally suited for use as a supplementary course book-including its modest price and compact size. Unlike most textbooks on argumentative writing, Rulebook is... (more)

Jesus, Interrupted

Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them)

by Bart D. Ehrman

Picking up where Bible expert Bart Ehrman's New York Times bestseller Misquoting Jesus left off, Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches—and it's not what most people think. Here Ehrman reveals what scholars have unearthed: The authors of the New Testament have diverging views about who Jesus was and how salvation works The New Testament contains... (more)

Don't think of an elephant! : know your values and frame the debate : the essential guide for progressives

Don't think of an elephant! : know your values and frame the debate : the essential guide for progressives

by George Lakoff

Don’t Think of An Elephant! is the antidote to the last forty years of conservative strategizing and the right wing’s stranglehold on political dialogue in the United States. Author George Lakoff explains how conservatives think, and how to counter their arguments. He outlines in detail the traditional American values that progressives hold, but are often unable to articulate. Lakoff also breaks down the ways... (more)

Arguing with Idiots

How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government

by Glenn Beck

#1 New York Times bestselling author and radio and tv host Glenn Beck's ultimate handbook for tackling and winning life's most important arguments.

Pereira Declares: A Testimony

by Patrick Creagh, Antonio Tabucchi

In Portugal, an aging, lonely journalist escapes facing the ominous cloud of Fascism by translating French stories for a weekly newspaper. It is his reluctant awakening that gives the novel its delightful, heroic power. Published to wide critical acclaim in the U.S., this is a delightful political novel by Italy's premier contemporary author.

Address Unknown

by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor

A rediscovered classic, originally published in 1938 -- and now an international bestseller. Address Unknown When it first appeared in Story magazine in 1938, Address Unknown became an immediate social phenomenon and literary sensation. Published in book form a year later and banned in Nazi Germany, it garnered high praise in the United States and much of Europe. A series of fictional letters... (more)

SIGMA Force: Book 5

The Last Oracle

by James Rollins

What if you could bioengineer the next great world prophet: scientifically produce the next Buddha, the next Muhammad, or the next Jesus? Would it mark the Second Coming or initiate a chain reaction with disastrous consequences? A master at combining historical and religious intrigue with edge-of-your-seat adventure, New York Times bestselling author James Rollins brings back SIGMA Force to battle a group of... (more)

Is Christianity Good for the World?

by Christopher Hitchens, Douglas Wilson

The gloves come off in this electric exchange, originally hosted by Christianity Today , as leading atheist Christopher Hitchens (author of God Is Not Great ) and Christian apologist Douglas Wilson (author of Letter from a Christian Citizen ) go head-to-head on this divisive question. The result is entertaining and provocative—a glimpse into the ongoing debate.

The Last Pope

by Lui?s Miguel Rocha

A fast-paced thriller about the conspiracy surrounding the 1981 attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, from the author of the international bestseller The Last Pope . An international journalist, a war-weary Portuguese veteran, a Muslim with visions of the Virgin Mary, a rogue priest, and members of the world’s most powerful—and secretive—organizations come together in another gripping Vatican thriller.... (more)

Critical Thinking and Communication: The Use of Reason in Argument (4th Edition)

Critical Thinking and Communication: The Use of Reason in Argument (4th Edition)

by Barbara Warnick, Edward S. Inch

Relating common theoretical models to true-to-life examples from law, ethics, education, and business, Inch and Warnick stress the importance of argumentation in everyday life. This book encourages readers to develop skills in both constructing and refuting arguments. Through exercises and examples, readers learn how to create individual arguments, extend argument cases, and understand how arguments are designed... (more)

Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel

Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel

by Anthony Campolo, Brian D. McLaren

There is a stirring among churchgoers. Many are looking at how the Christian faith is being played out, wondering if somehow we’re missing the point. What if there is more to our faith than just getting our souls into heaven? What if there is a power in the gospel that’s been kept under lock and key because of our culture-controlled church? If we placed our beliefs and their origins under the microscope, what... (more)

You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation

You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation

by Deborah Tannen

Women and men live in different worlds...made of different words. Spending nearly four years on the New York Times bestseller list, including eight months at number one, You Just Don't Understand is a true cultural and intellectual phenomenon. This is the book that brought gender differences in ways of speaking to the forefront of public awareness. With a rare combination of scientific insight and delightful,... (more)

The Cleft: A Novel

by Doris Lessing

Doris Lessing, one of England's finest living novelists, invites us to imagine a mythical society free from sexual intrigue, free from jealousy, free from petty rivalries: a society free from men. An old Roman senator, contemplative at his late stage of life, embarks on what will likely be his last endeavour: the retelling of the story of human creation. He recounts the history of the Clefts, an ancient community... (more)

Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction

Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction

by Eugenie Carol Scott

Almost eighty years after the Scopes trial, the debate over the teaching of evolution continues to rage. There is no easy resolution--it is a complex topic with profound scientific, religious, educational, and legal implications. How can a student or parent understand this issue, which is such a vital part of education? Evolution vs. Creationism provides a badly needed, comprehensive, and balanced survey.... (more)

The Magdalene Legacy

by Laurence Gardner

From the best-selling author of The Bloodline of the Holy Grail and Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark comes an explosive historical detective story presenting secret archives on the mysterious life of Mary Magdalene, the hidden lineage of Jesus and Mary, and the real two-thousand-year-old conspiracy involving the entire history of Christianity. Mary Magdalene is described in the New Testament as... (more)

The Secret on Ararat

by Tim F. LaHaye

In "Babylon Rising", Tim LaHaye began an adventure series that he calls even more exciting than his 50-million-plus-copy bestselling "Left Behind" series. Readers agreed, as the novel debuted as a top-ten "New York Times" bestseller. Now, in the second "Babylon Rising" novel, Biblical scholar, archaeologist, professor, and hero for our times, Michael Murphy is in pursuit of one of the most mysterious and... (more)

A Reading Diary: A Passionate Reader's Reflections on a Year of Books

A Reading Diary: A Passionate Reader's Reflections on a Year of Books

by Alberto Manguel

While traveling in Calgary, Alberto Manguel was struck by how the novel he was reading (Goethe's Elective Affinities ) seemed to reflect the social chaos of the world in which he was living. An article in the daily paper would suddenly be illuminated by a passage in the novel; a long reflection would be prompted by a single word. He decided to keep a record of these moments, rereading a book each month, and... (more)

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Tags: debate

by Matthew Pearl