What S Gotten Into You

What's Gotten into Us? is a deep, remarkable, and empowering investigation into the threats--biological and environmental--that chemicals now present in our daily lives. Do you know what chemicals are in your shampoo? How about your cosmetics? Do you know what's in the plastic water bottles you drink from, or the weed killer in your garage, or your children's pajamas? If you're like most of us, the answer is probably no. But you also probably figured that most of these products were safe, and that someone--the manufacturers, the government--was looking out for you. The truth might surprise you. After experiencing a health scare of his own, journalist McKay Jenkins set out to discover the truth about toxic chemicals, our alarming levels of exposure, and our government's utter failure to regulate them effectively. What's Gotten into Us? reveals how dangerous, and how common, toxins are in the most ordinary things, and in the most familiar of places: * Our water: Thanks to suburban sprawl and agricultural runoff, 97 percent of our nation's rivers and streams are now contaminated with everything from herbicides to pharmaceutical drugs. * Our bodies: High levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals from cosmetics, flame-retardants from clothing and furniture, even long-banned substances like DDT and lead, are consistently showing up in human blood samples. * Our homes: Many toxins lurk beneath our sinks and in our basements, of course, but did you know that they're also found in wall-to-wall carpeting, plywood, and fabric softeners? * Our yards: Pesticides, fungicides, even common fertilizers--there are enormous, unseen costs to our national obsession with green, weed-free lawns. What's Gotten Into Us? is much more than a wake-up call. It offers numerous practical ways for us to regain some control over our lives, to make our own personal worlds a little less toxic. Inside, you'll find ideas to help you make informed decisions about the products you buy, and to disentangle yourself from unhealthy products you don't need--so that you and your family can start living healthier lives now, and in the years to come. Because, as this book shows, what you don't know can hurt you.

For readers of Bill Bryson, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Siddhartha Mukherjee, a wondrous, wildly ambitious, and vastly entertaining work of popular science that tells the awe-inspiring story of the elements that make up the human body, and how these building blocks of life travelled billions of miles and across billions of years to make us who we are. Every one of us contains a billion times more atoms than all the grains of sand in the earth’s deserts. If you weigh 150 pounds, you’ve got enough carbon to make 25 pounds of charcoal, enough salt to fill a saltshaker, enough chlorine to disinfect several backyard swimming pools, and enough iron to forge a 3-inch nail. But how did these elements combine to make us human? All matter—everything around us and within us—has an ultimate birthday: the day the universe was born. This informative, eye-opening, and eminently readable book is the story of our atoms’ long strange journey from the Big Bang to the creation of stars, through the assembly of Planet Earth, and the formation of life as we know it. It’s also the story of the scientists who made groundbreaking discoveries and unearthed extraordinary insights into the composition of life. Behind their unexpected findings were investigations marked by fierce rivalries, obsession, heartbreak, flashes of insight, and flukes of blind luck. Ultimately they’ve helped us understand the mystery of our existence: how a quadrillion atoms made of particles from the Big Bang now animate each of our cells. Shaped by the curious mind and bold vision of science and history documentarian Dan Levitt, this wondrous book is no less than the story of life itself.

100 short devotions to help boys ages 8 to 12 understand what it truly means to be a Christian.

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a romance forged in the fast lane The girl with straight A's and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy family…and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker—a guy she has no business even talking to. But after the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. The last thing Isaiah needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks. But when their shared love of street racing puts their lives in jeopardy, Isaiah and Rachel will have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

A sexy chocolatier and his under-appreciated assistant discover you can't have too much of a good thing in USA Today bestselling author Lisa Plumley's delectable new novel. . . After ten years of saving her boss's (admittedly gorgeous) butt, stifling her crush, and being endlessly inconvenienced, administrative assistant Natasha Jennings has had enough. True, chocolatier Damon Torrance is every bit as irresistible as the confections created by Torrance Chocolates. The man is sex on a stick dipped in 70% Tanzanian Cacao. But for the sake of her career, her sanity, and possibly her heart, Natasha has to go. Money, success, women. . .everything comes easily to Damon. Until Natasha hands in her notice. He needs to get her, and his mojo, back--fast. But from the moment Damon rings Natasha's doorbell and steps into her personal life, he starts feeling things he never has before. For once, the notorious playboy wants to be good. Which makes it extra inconvenient that Natasha is suddenly tempted to try being a little wicked. And the results may be sweeter than either ever anticipated. . . "Lisa Plumley creates charming characters. Her books are a delight!" --Rachel Gibson Raves for Holiday Affair "A deliciously satisfying, cocoa-worthy holiday read." --Library Journal "A delightful story with utterly charming characters." –Romantic Times Book Reviews

“The summer before I turned ten was idyllic—until August 3, 1970. It perfectly describes a time when I thought the world was safe and good things lasted forever..." Christy Award Winner! Nine-year-old Abby McAndrews has just experienced her greatest loss, and in its wake, her family is unraveling with guilt, grief, and anger. Her father, Reverend McAndrews, cannot return to the pulpit because he has more questions than answers. Her older brother Matt’s actions speak louder than the words he needs to confess, as he acts out in dangerous ways. Her mother tries to hold her grieving family together, but when Abby’s dad refuses to move on, the family is at a crossroads. Stars in the Grass, set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, is an uplifting novel that explores a family’s relationships and resiliency. Abby’s heartbreaking remembrances are balanced by humor and nostalgia as her family struggles with—and ultimately celebrates—life after loss.

From a USA Today–bestselling author: Three “wild page-turning” thriller novels of covert operations around the globe (NPR on The Hunted). The Hunted: When a woman’s husband mysteriously disappears, her search uncovers his hidden past involving the FBI, international assassins, and government secrets that some will go to great lengths to keep hidden. As The Hunted hurtles toward a twisting conclusion, nothing is as it seems. “Impossible to put down” (Library Journal). Hard Target: The president-elect’s helicopter is sabotaged in this “terrific thriller” (Lee Child) that “explodes from the pages” (Vince Flynn) involving an enigmatic covert operative, an FBI agent with a mysterious past—and a terror plot unlike any in history. The Lost Codex: A stolen ancient Biblical scroll sits at the heart of a modern-day high-stakes geopolitical conflict in this “masterwork of international suspense” that ricochets from DC to Paris to Israel and beyond (Douglas Preston).