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It's time to set aside one short day to pay homage to that special man in your life who made growing up so much easier. Whether he was taking you to baseball games, slaving over a hot grill in July, or giving the sage guidance, "Go ask your mother," Dad has always been there for you. Here are ten great books that Dad will enjoy, and five informative titles about being a dad. Find the perfect gift for the man who threatened to "turn this car around and go home!!" but never did.
 AL ROKER'S BIG, BAD BOOK OF BARBECUE: 100 Easy Recipes for Backyard Barbecue and Grilling
Al Roker
Scribner
ISBN: 0743228642
One ubiquitous feature of a classic, relaxing summer is the barbecue dinner, and this year America's favorite weatherman has added his favorite grill recipes to the canon of summertime meals. These 100 dishes are simple but substantive, much like their author. The recipes range from Jerk Chicken to Sea Bass to summer beverages, and with gentle humor and so-easy-even-Dad-can-cook-it instructions, Roker has created a valuable guide for anyone proud of his or her singed knuckles.
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 BABY'S FIRST TATTOO: A Memory Book for Modern Parents
Jim Mullen
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0743224450
Embracing the realities of parenthood, this comical look at the less glamorous "firsts" in a baby's life provides a humorous walk down memory lane for all parents who survived public temper tantrums and broken family heirlooms. Some of these "alternative" moments immortalized in the book include, "Baby's First Projectile Vomit" and "Baby's 10,000th Dirty Diaper." Celebrating the ups and downs of raising an active child is that much easier with a collection of "firsts" that will hopefully become "lasts."
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 THE COMPANY: A Novel of the CIA
Robert Littell
The Overlook Press
ISBN: 1585671975
Where truth is indeed stranger than fiction, the double-lives of CIA agents create a world where nothing is certain and no one can be trusted. Spanning over 40 years, Littell's epic 14th novel encompasses every aspect of the CIA's complex history. Several generations of characters, some imagined, some actual historical figures, wade through the sea of lies that made up the intelligence battle during the Cold War. Capturing both the drama and the irrationality of the CIA's existence, the novel's ambitious scope lives up to its high expectations.
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 DADS AND DAUGHTERS: How to Inspire, Understand, and Support Your Daughter When She's Growing Up So Fast
Joe Kelly
Broadway Books
ISBN: 0767908333
While few bonds are stronger than that between a father and daughter, it is sometimes difficult to bridge the age and gender gap that too often separates a dad from his little girl. Joe Kelly, former journalist and recipient of Parenting magazine's "Parenting Achievement Award," has crafted a guide for fathers to help them deal with the issues plaguing a growing girl, such as sex, body image, drugs, and responsibility. Finding a balance of honest communication and independence for daughters is a tricky task, and Kelly's inspiring guide gives fathers a helping hand through rocky developmental terrain.
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 DRIVER #8
Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Jade Gurss
Warner Books
ISBN: 0446530301
Jump behind the wheel and get a firsthand look at NASCAR, the world's fastest sport, from the man who knows it best. Racing against both his father and the extravagant social life that threatened to destroy his career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a wild rookie year on the Winston Cup tour. In this wide-ranging book, he discusses the intense strategy and teamwork that go into winning each race and the party scene that surrounds a young, up-and-coming racecar driver. The adrenaline never stops pumping in this life-consuming sport.
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 FIREHOUSE
David Halberstam
Hyperion
ISBN: 1401300057
Taking the reader to the center of the September 11 tragedy, veteran journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winner David Halberstam tells the emotional story of Engine 40, Ladder 35, one of the firehouses most actively involved in the rescue attempts at the World Trade Center. Some of the first men to arrive at the scene, 12 out of 13 firefighters lost their lives. Through biographies and eyewitness accounts, Halberstam paints a moving portrait of some of New York's greatest heroes and shows how a small organization can take part in --- and have an effect on --- a much larger event.
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 LUCKY MAN: A Memoir
Michael J. Fox
Hyperion
ISBN: 0786867647
Tackling illness, alcohol abuse, and fame in America, this memoir from the beloved star of "Family Ties" and "Spin City" takes a refreshingly honest look at celebrity woes. Fox's autobiography centers on his current battle with Parkinson's disease, the debilitating condition that forced him to retire from acting, but also deals with the other important aspects of his life. Always humorous and self-deprecating, he describes his rise in Hollywood and the temptations that fame brought. The candid, energetic style that made Fox such an appealing actor allows this difficult subject matter to be compelling without becoming overwhelming.
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 ODD GIRL OUT: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls
Rachel Simmons
Harcourt Brace
ISBN: 0151006040
Long-overshadowed by boy's more noticeably aggressive tendencies, girls' antagonistic relationships are finally coming to light. In this comprehensive, brutally honest look at girls' friends and enemies, female psychology expert Rachel Simmons dissects common stereotypes about girls as kind and sweet. She describes the ways in which friendships are used as ammunition for public ridicule, and, using the testimonials of three hundred girls, Simmons catalogues the subversively vicious ways in which young women assert themselves among each other. Any parent should be well informed about his or her daughter's difficult social world.
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 PLAYFUL PARENTING: A Bold New Way to Nurture Close Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Children's Confidence
Lawrence J. Cohen
Ballantine
ISBN: 0345438973
Parenting isn't just punishment and worry, as this lighthearted yet substantive parenting guide demonstrates. By playing and relaxing with one's children, not only will a mother or father enjoy the parenting experience more but also the child will have a better time dealing with his or her parent(s). Cohen advocates an honest display of emotions with one's children; show them when you're happy or confused and treat them like real people. He discusses (through personal anecdotes and interviews) the ways through which a parent and child can enjoy each other's company without sacrificing the serious aspects of their relationship.
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 QUEEN BEES AND WANNABES: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends & Other Realities of Adolescence
Rosalind Wiseman
Crown
ISBN: 0609609459
Between cliques, hormones, and teenage boys, an adolescent girl's world is fraught with uncertainty and emotional drama. This comprehensive guide to the formidable teen years offers insight into girls' private worlds and helps parents decide when and how to act. Wiseman, cofounder of Empower, analyzes/translates the social hierarchy of junior high school; is your daughter a "Torn Bystander" or a "Messenger?" She also gives some crucial dos and don'ts for concerned parents such as "Don't use the slang your daughter uses;" learning a few simple ways to help your daughter during these difficult years will make adolescence easier for her --- and for you.
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 RENOVATIONS: A Father And Son Rebuild A House And Rediscover Each Other
John Marchese
Riverhead Books
ISBN: 1573229318
Rebuilding a house can mean rebuilding a relationship. Clichéd? Perhaps, but this touchingly masculine story of a father and son renovating an old house rings true to anyone who has attempted home repair with the help of another. Marchese, in the throes of a mid-life crisis, has bought a "fixer-upper" and enlists the help of his father, an ex-construction worker, to rebuild it. Over the course of the construction, the pair's strained, hermetic relationship is stripped, sanded, primed and finally refinished. Combining family dynamics with power-tools, Marchese's observations truly hit the nail on the head.
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 SIN KILLER
Larry McMurtry
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0743233026
During the Western land boom of the 1830s, the aristocratic Berrybender clan leaves its native England and begins a journey to explore the new frontier. The family's traditional, upper-class values are put to the test, harshly juxtaposed against the wild landscape and "uncouth" Americans; the colorful Berrybenders find themselves in an adventure far beyond their original expectations. This exciting first installment of a possible tetralogy proves that the Western as a genre is still alive in the hands of an expert like McMurtry.
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 STUPID WHITE MEN...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation!
Michael Moore
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060392452
Humorous yet fact-filled, this bipartisan look at the State of the Nation loathes everyone equally. Filmmaker and journalist Michael Moore takes a cynical look at our country's myriad problems and seeks out their causes. Surprise, surprise, he finds that Stupid White Men are generally the culprits. Using polls, interviews, and his own opinion, Moore discusses the shortcomings of the current president, the previous president, and even Yugoslavia; indeed, he identifies America's most subversive enemies: "Old white men wielding martinis and wearing dickies have occupied our nation's capital...Launch the SCUD missiles!"
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 THEODORE REX
Edmund Morris
Random House
ISBN: 0394555090
As either a sequel to Morris's acclaimed THE RISE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT or a stand-alone biography, this study of the 20th Century's first president illustrates how revolutionary Roosevelt's leadership was. The book begins shortly before "King Theodore's" inauguration and follows the president through his two terms in office. Highlighting Roosevelt's effusive personality and strong-armed foreign policy, Morris's study is perhaps the most comprehensive one to date. Although this volume (the second in a proposed three-volume series) only covers eight years, it effectively illuminates one of America's most intriguing leaders.
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 THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING: The Origin and Fate of the Universe
Stephen W. Hawking
New Millennium Press
ISBN: 1893224546
This transcription of lectures from the famous Cambridge professor and astrophysicist explains the workings of the universe simply, yet thoroughly. Hawking, the greatest thinker since Einstein, first revolutionized popular scientific knowledge with his book A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME, and this newest work continues in the same vein. Quantum mechanics, the Big Bang, unified field theory, and black holes --- Hawking's specialty --- are all discussed in easy-to-understand detail; Hawking brings the unthinkable and unimaginable to life for even the least experienced physics-phile
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--- Lowell Putnam
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