The Kindergarten Wars The Battle To Get Into America S Best Private Schools

Eisenstock details the insane lengths parents will go to to get their children into America's top kindergartens, and what readers need to know to compete.

The Kindergarten Wars is the first narrative nonfiction book ever to take the reader inside all aspects of the private school application process. Eisenstock follows several families across the country from their first school tours until the moment they open their admissions letters. He interviews admissions directors, school heads, teachers, educational consultants, and kindergarten tutors, who coach both parents and kids. Did you know the most important line in your child's application is where you--the parent--went to college? Did you know that you can qualify for financial aid even if you make $192,000 a year? Eisenstock uncovers startling information, starting with how private school admissions directors decide who gets in. Does the child of a single woman of ethnic diversity on financial aid have a better chance of getting into an elite kindergarten than a child of a middle-class white couple? He will ask Ivy League students, their parents, and their admissions counselors the $500,000 question: Does where you go to kindergarten ultimately help you get into the most prestigious colleges? At its core, The Kindergarten Wars is a human drama. It's the story of a quest and the people who are vying for the prize--a space in private school kindergarten--at any cost. The book is honest, funny, suspenseful, and emotional.

Kids today are depressed and anxious. They also seem to feel entitled to every advantage and unwilling to make the leap into adulthood. As Polly Young-Eisendrath makes clear in this brilliant account of where a generation has gone astray, parents trying to make their children feel special are unwittingly interfering with their kids' ability to accept themselves and cope with life. Clarifying an enormous cultural change, The Self-Esteem Trap shows why so many young people have trouble with empathy and compassion, struggle with moral values, and are stymied in the face of adversity. Young-Eisendrath offers prescriptive advice on how adults can help kids -- through the teen and young adult years -- develop self-worth, setting them on the right track to productive, balanced, and happy lives.

What does it mean to be JUST A GUY? --A guy doesn't think before he speaks. --Eating and sleeping always come first. Always. --A guy may get married, but he doesn't have to like it. --It's tough to admit, but all guys are exactly the same. Blue Collar Comedy Star Bill Engvall is JUST A GUY. He's been one his whole life. He can't help it. He was born that way. And that makes him an expert on the subject. For the record, here's the official definition of a guy: A person who doesn't think before he speaks. He can't. He's not that deep. Because a guy has only three basic needs: eating, sleeping, and sex. That's it. JUST A GUY chronicles a lifetime in pursuit of those needs. In this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, Bill Engvall takes you on the rollicking ride of his life, beginning with his childhood in Texas and adolescence in Arizona, becoming a fixture in local emergency rooms, the result of massive amounts of non-thinking behavior trying to impress girls or torture his sisters; to high school in Dallas where he dabbled in an array of truly odd jobs, learned the trombone, and came of age, all strangely connected; to college and his tenure as his fraternity's social chairman, where he masterminded a series of legendary parties and attempted to rescue his pet bird while the house was burning down (not his fault, honest); to following his dream as a standup comic and, gulp, singer; to his brief stint in children's theater while sharing the stage and the back of a van with the director's dog, and as a movie extra with forked tongue and cloth claws; to his bumbling and riotous courtship, then marriage to Gail, the love of his life; and, finally, fatherhood, where he remains, to this day, a well-meaning, but flawed parent. Through it all, Bill gamely stumbles along, struggling to maintain a façade of confidence and control. Far from a superhero, Bill Engvall is an everyday Everyman, the poster boy for normal. The result is JUST A GUY who is disarming, perceptive, wildly funny, and unexpectedly moving. JUST A GUY will make you laugh out loud and tug at your heart. Hopefully, not at the same time.

For 27 years, fiction writers have depended on Novel & Short Story Writer's Market to help them sell their work and make professional connections in the industry. Listings for more than 1,300 book publishers, magazines, literary agents, writing contests and conferences-more than 60 of which are new to this edition-provide current contact information, editorial needs, schedules and guidelines that save you time and take the guesswork out of the submission process. Inside this edition, you'll also find: Interviews with best-selling and award-winning authors, such as Percival Everett, Sigrid Nunez, Lisa See, John Connolly, and Greg Rucka, offering practical guidance and a glimpse into the successful writing life, Articles on the business of fiction, including advice on hiring a publicist, working with a coauthor, testing the legitimacy of online journals, and bouncing back from rejection, Craft instruction to help you determine if your novel has what it takes to survive the slush pile. Novel & Short Story Writer's Market contains everything you need to know to submit your fiction. We've done your research for you-so you can get back to writing. Book jacket.

Now in its 17th year, Guide to Literary Agents is a writers best resource for finding a literary agent or script agent to represent their work. As the market becomes more glutted while the number of major publishing houses shrinks, writers need someone familiar with the publishing scene to shepherd their manuscript to the right person. To help writers acquire an agent, this book provides names and specialties for more than 700 individual agents around the United States and the world. The book also includes a growing number of UK agents as well as Australian agents, and more than 90 pages of original articles on finding the best agent to represent your work and how to seal the deal. From editing your work to crafting a book proposal to making the most of your contract, Guide to Literary Agents will help writers deal with agents every step of the way.