First In His Class...

Who exactly is Bill Clinton, and why was he, of all the brilliant and ambitious men in his generation, the first in his class to reach the White House? Drawing on hundreds of letters, documents, and interviews, David Maraniss explores the evolution of the personality of our forty-second president from his youth in Arkansas to his 1991 announcement that he would run for the nation’s highest office. In this richly textured and balanced biography, Maraniss reveals a complex man full of great flaws and great talents. First in His Class is the definitive book on Bill Clinton.

Teach Yourself Golf

In the last decade, golf has enjoyed an explosive increase in popularity. The game has become accessible to more people, and the meteoric rise of Tiger Woods has brought more attention to golf. In this revised edition, every aspect of the sport is covered in an easy-to-understand manner. New players — as well as more seasoned ones — will learn tips to improve their game and enjoy golf more than ever.

Bono in Conversation...

U2 vocalist, celebrity activist and one of the world’s most outsized rock stars, Bono symbolically takes off his habitual shades to reveal the relatively normal guy behind the flashy (and occasionally bombastic) public persona in ‘Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas.’ He comes off as both earnest and quick minded, but the book’s long-form q&a format also reveals an acerbic sense of humor and genuine humility. Topics shift and flow in a fairly nonlinear fashion; anecdotes jump around from 1979 to 1998, from Dublin to Africa, from music to father-son relationships. Presuming that most readers are intimate with U2’s history and discography, interviewer Assayas gives little background information other than the dates and location of each discussion. The lack of context or clear chronology is at times frustrating,

but Assayas, a French journalist and longtime friend of the group, compensates by steering the conversations into difficult territory: politics, religion and the personal dynamics of a successful rock band.

It’s Not About the Bike...

In 1996, young cycling phenom Armstrong discovered he had testicular cancer. In 1999, he won the Tour de France. Now he’s a grateful husband, a new father and a memoirist (‘It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life’) — with pluck, hu mility and verve, this volume covers his early life, his rise through the endurance sport world and his medical difficulties.

Cancer “was like being run off the road by a truck, and I’ve got the scars to prove it,” Armstrong declares. Earlier scars, he explains, came from a stepfather he casts as unworthy; early rewards, from his hardworking mother and from the triathlons and national bike races Armstrong won as a Texas teen. The memoir concludes with Armstrong’s French victory and the birth of their son. The book features a disarming and spotless prose style, one far above par for sports memoirs. Bicycle-racing fans will enjoy the troves of inside information and the accounts of competitions, but Armstrong has set his sights on a wider meaning and readership: “When I was sick I saw more beauty and triumph and truth in a single day than I ever did in a bike race.”

Every Second Counts

Since the release of his megabestseller, It’s Not About the Bike, Lance Armstrong has enjoyed

a new series of thrilling rides, including the birth of his twin daughters, being chosen as Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, and extending his str-ing of Tour victories to a record-tying fifth in 2003. Every Second Counts captures the mindset of a man who has beaten incredible odds and considers each day an opportunity for excellence. Armstrong’s previous book recounted his journey from a grim diagnosis of testicular cancer, which had spread to his lungs and brain, to a stunning recovery that culminated in his winning the 1999 Tour de France. His new book addresses the equally daunting challenge of living in the aftermath of this experience and making the most of every breath of life.