A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Armstrong, a British journalist and former nun, guides us along one of the most elusive and fascinating quests of all time–the search for God. Like all beloved historians, Armstrong entertains us with deft storytelling, astounding research, and makes us feel a greater appreciation for the present because we better understand our past. Be warned: A History of God is not a tidy linear history. Rather, we learn that the definition of God is constantly being repeated, altered, discarded, and resurrected through the ages, responding to its followers practical concerns rather than to mystical mandates. Armstrong also shows us how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have overlapped and influenced one another, gently challenging the secularist history of each of these religions. –Gail Hudson
Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx (Paperback)
by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (shelved 89 times as non-fiction)

In her extraordinary bestseller, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses readers in the intricacies of the ghetto, revealing the true sagas lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug dealers, and street-corner society. Focusing on two romances — Jessicas dizzying infatuation with a hugely successful young heroin dealer, Boy George, and Cocos first love with Jessicas little brother, Cesar — Random Family is the story of young people trying to outrun their destinies. Jessica and Boy George ride the wild adventure between riches and ruin, while Coco and Cesar stick closer to the street, all four caught in a precarious dance between survival and death. Friends get murdered; the DEA and FBI investigate Boy George; Cesar becomes a fugitive; Jessica and Coco endure homelessness, betrayal, the heartbreaking separation of prison, and, throughout it all, the insidious damage of poverty.

Charting the tumultuous cycle of the generations — as girls become mothers, boys become criminals, and hope struggles against deprivation — LeBlanc slips behind the cold statistics and sensationalism and comes back with a riveting, haunting, and true story.