Books published by St. Martin's Griffin

In this spirited memoir, veteran TV journalist Paul Paolicelli does what many of us can only dream of--he picks up and moves to a foreign country in an attempt to trace his ancestral roots. With the help of Luigi, his guide and companion, he travels through Italy--Rome, Gamberale, Matera, Miglionico, Alessandria, even Mussolini's hometown of Predappio--and discovers the tragic legacy of the Second World War that is still affecting the Old Country. He visits ancient castles and village churches, samples superb Italian cuisine, haggles at the open air market at Porta Portese, enjoys and Alessandria siesta, and frequents "coffee bars", where beggars discuss politics with affluent Italian locals. He finds lost-lost cousins during the day and performs with an amateur jazz group during the night. Along the way, he discovers deeply moving stories about his family's past and learns answers to question that have plagued him since childhood.More that just a spiritual account of one man's ancestral search, Dances With Luigi is also a stunning portrait of la bella Italia--both old and new--that is painted beautifully in all of its glamour, history, and contradiction.

Great Hollywood Wit rollicks with hilarious movie lines and backstage zingers-smart, tart, and (in Sir John Gielgud's case) wicked: "Ingrid Bergman speaks five languages and can't act in any of them." Julia Roberts, fashion buff: "I only put clothes on so that I'm not naked when I go out shopping." Retiring Burt Reynolds: "You can only hold your stomach in for so many years."Great Hollywood Wit is an unequaled cavalcade of hilarity that you'll laugh through again and again. A wonderful one-of-a-kind gift.

Pregnancy is filled with many joys and much wonder. But this miraculous journey can also be accompanied by a good deal of fear and anxiety. Will my pregnancy be difficult? Will my labor be painful? Will I be a good mother?While Hypnosis for a Joyful Pregnancy and Pain-Free Labor and Deliver will not be able to provide answers to all of the unknowns, this unique and innovative book can teach you how to lessen the common complaints of pregnancy and ease the pain of childbirth. Step-by-step, you will learn how to use hypnosis to induce a state of calm and comfort during any stage of the journey. Hypnosis is a natural form of anesthesia, providing the added bonus is that you may get to fully experience the joy of childbirth, without the use of an epidural or narcotics. Discover:- Are you a good candidate for hypnosis...will it work for you?- Creative scripts for inducing a hypnotic state.- How to put together a birthing team, including finding a qualified hypnotherapist.- Tricks to treating morning sickness, heartburn, excessive weight gain, insomnia, leg cramps, and other discomforts of pregnancy - When things don't go as planned; what to do if anesthesia is necessary.Isn't it time you learned about all of your options? Hypnosis for a Joyful Pregnancy and Pain-Free Labor and Delivery arms you with what you need to know to make the best decision for you and your unborn baby.

California: the whole world knows it as the mother lode of scandal and celebrity, mayhem and miracles, a place where nearly anything can happen - and does. Giving the lowdown on the most notorious locations across the state, California Babylon redefines tourism for the 21st century by guiding you to the places you actually want to see, whether you'll admit to it or not.Packed with photographs and with easy-to-follow directions to each site, California Babylon unveils the real-life filming locations; scenes of rock-'n'-roll debauchery; homes and hotspots where the stars lived, dined, made love and died - and where they still do today. With this detailed, up-to-date guide, you can revisit some of the most shocking, puzzling, glamorous and tragic moments the world has ever known.Spend the night in the very hotel rooms where Janis Joplin, John Belushi, or Hawaii's King Kamehameha died. See the site where People's Temple leader Jim Jones whipped hundreds of followers into a frenzy. Visit the orphanage where little Norma Jeane Baker dreamed of stardom. Follow in the footsteps of serial killers. Recreate the camera angles for dozens of your favorite films, from Vertigo to Pee Wee's Big Adventure. With California Babylon's help, you can also see:*infamous crime scenes*the homes of screen legends*graves of the rich and famous*assassination sites*abandoned utopias*restaurants and bars frequented by celebritiesForget the endless malls and beaches! Wouldn't you rather see JFK's secret love-nest, the stage where Michael Jackson's hair burst into flames, or the alley that was the epicenter of prostitution in gold-rush era San Francisco? These are the guilty pleasures you'll actually write home about, and they're what make California the wacky, world-famous, and truly unbelievable place it is today.

When the Soviet Union''s communist empire collapsed in 1989, a mood of euphoria took hold in the West and in Eastern Europe. The West had won the ultimate victory--it had driven a silver stake through the heart of communism. Its next planned step was to help the nations of Eastern Europe to reconstruct themselves as democratic, free-market states, and full partners in the First World Order. But that, as Janine Wedel reveals in this gripping volume, was before Western governments set their poorly conceived programs in motion. Collision and Collusion tells the bizarre and sometimes scandalous story of Western governments'' attempts to aid the former Soviet block. He shows how by mid-decade, Western aid policies had often backfired, effectively discouraging market reforms and exasperating electorates who, remarkably, had voted back in the previously despised communists. Collision and Collusion is the first book to explain where the Western dollars intended to aid Eastern Europe went, and why they did so little to help. Taking a hard look at the bureaucrats, politicians, and consultants who worked to set up Western economic and political systems in Eastern Europe, the book details the extraordinary costs of institutional ignorance, cultural misunderstanding, and unrealistic expectations.

Guilt. Criticism. Control. Competition. Anger. If these words reflect your relationship with your mother, then Mama Drama can give you the tools to free yourself from the binds of an unhealthy mother/daughter relationship. A woman's relationship with her mother is often the most complex, emotionally dramatic, and volatile one of her life. It is also one of the most important, as it affects everything from her career, to her health, her marriage, and her parenting skills. Drawing from her own experiences, as well as from those of other women, McGregor shows why there is so much dissatisfaction in mother/daughter relationships, and gives practical methods for healing.

Here is a lively and nostalgic look back at the forgotten era that gave us "Hooked on a Feeling", "Dancing in the Moonlight", "I Am Woman", "Seasons in the Sun", and more. The early ''70s brought a "Convoy" of popular music--everything from the cheesy to the classic. The authors, true-blue ''70s fanatics, have put together this irresistably readable book to transport readers back to a time when people wore smiley-face buttons, went to singles bars, and heartily sang along with Mac Davis. Illustrations throughout.

Brian AldissWilliam GibsonR.A. LaffertyUrsula K. Le GuinLucius ShepardBruce SterlingTheodore SturgeonHoward WaldropConnie WillisGene WolfeRoger Zelazny"The best stories are timeless. Long years from now the stories here may still touch someone, cause that person to blink, and put the book down for a second, and stare off through the hallow air, and shirver in wonder."

ΓÇ£America''s best storyteller.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇöThe New York Times Book ReviewFrom Edgar Award-winning author Ross Thomas comes Briarpatch, a thrilling mystery of one manΓÇÖs personal mission to find justice for his family. Now, the basis for the USA Network television series executive produced by Sam Esmail, creator of Mr. Robot, starring Rosario Dawson.A long-distance call from his small Texas hometown on his birthday gives Benjamin Dill the news that his sister FelicityΓÇöborn on the same day exactly ten years apartΓÇöhas died in a car bomb explosion. She was a homicide detective who had perhaps made one enemy too many over the course of her career.Unwilling to let local law enforcement handle the investigation, Dill arrives in town that night to begin his dogged search for his sisterΓÇÖs killer. What he finds is no surprise to him as he begins to unravel town secrets, because Benjamin Dill is never surprised at what awful things people will do.Featuring an Introduction by New York Times bestselling author Lawrence BlockEdgar Award Winner for Best Novel

Renowned attorney and political critic Bruce Fein reveals the dangers our Constitution and our nation have faced courtesy of the Bush Administration and a Congress asleep at the switch. In blistering detail, he deconstructs the policies of Bush in the War on Terror--from the flouting of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to the crippling of the Great Writ of habeas corpus--and forecasts that the damage he's done is unlikely to be repaired quickly or easily.As Barack Obama takes office, there are questions that involve the very foundations of our government and the degrees to which they have been undermined, either actively or passively, by nearly everyone in power today. By exploring the constitutional crises of the past--from Lincoln and habeas corpus to Nixon and Watergate--Fein compellingly and presciently begins to answer those questions.

Two decades ago A Nation at Risk sounded a national alarm on K-12 education. Now, an equally urgent alarm is being sounded for higher education in America. In Declining by Degrees, leading authors and educators such as Tom Wolfe, Jim Fallows, and Jay Mathews provide us with a valuable understanding of the serious issues facing colleges today, such as budget cuts, grade inflation, questionable recruitment strategies, and a major focus on Big Time Sports. Tied to the PBS documentary of the same name, Declining by Degrees creates a national discussion about the future of higher education and what we can do about it.