"What's The Economy For, Anyway? is a thought-provoking, funny, readable, anti-ideological book based on the cult hit film of the same name. Here, scholars John de Graaf (author of Affluenza) and David Batker tackle thirteen touchstone economic issues and challenge readers to consider just what the point of our economy is. Emphasizing powerful American ideals such as working together, pragmatism, and equality for all, de Graaf and Batker set forth a simple, powerful goal for any economic system: the greatest good for the greatest number, over the longest run. Their vision will appeal to a wide array of readers across traditional silos. Drawing from this nation's rich economic history, the book shows that the good life in America is achieved when people and markets work together with an active government to create a better economy, one that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. Beginning by taking our fetish for GDP and shattering it, the chapters touch on quality of life, health, security, time management, worklife, leisure, social justice, and perhaps most important, sustainability. This sparkling, message-driven book is exactly what we need: a guide to what really matters, and how we can use the resources of our economy to make the world a better place"--

"Look who's making dinner! Twenty-one of our favorite writers and chefs expound upon the joys--and perils--of feeding their families. Mario Batali's son boasts a preference for duck testicles. Peter Kaminsky's daughters won't eat anything at all. Mark Bittman reveals the four stages of learning to cook. Mark Kurlansky would love a woman to feed him, just once. Jim Harrison shows how good food and wine trump expensive cars and houses. Jesse Sheidlower searches for words to describe his vegetarianism to his kids. And Stephen King offers tips about what to cook when you don't feel like cooking. More men cook now than ever before, and this is the first book to celebrate those good eggs who toil behind the stove, trying to nourish and please. Their culinary adventures are accompanied by over sixty family-tested recipes, time-saving tips, and cookbook recommendations as well as an array of New Yorker cartoons. Plus, there are interviews with homestyle heroes cooking all across America--a fireman from Brooklyn, a football coach in Atlanta, a lawyer in Philadelphia, a bond trader in Los Angeles. What emerges is a book not just about food but about our changing families. It offers a newfound community for any man who proudly dons an apron and inspiration for those who have yet to pick up the spatula. "--

Traces the rewards and pitfalls of a Chinese mother's exercise in extreme parenting, describing the exacting standards applied to grades, music lessons, and avoidance of Western cultural practices.