Books by Al & Tipper GoreJoined at the Heart Synopsis
Over the past two generations, new economic pressures, profound cultural changes, and rapid demographic shifts have fundamentally altered the way we live our lives. The work week is longer, balancing work and family is harder than ever, and finding high-quality child and elder care is getting increasingly difficult. But if American families can no longer rely on many of the traditional landmarks by which they formerly steered their course, they are finding creative new ways to define, enrich, and honor their commitment to the most essential of all relationships." As they explore the changing nature of the contemporary family, the Gores introduce us to a dozen families they have come to know over the years. Among others, we meet a blended family with six children born to four sets of parents; an interracial family navigating an increasingly accepting world; a gay couple raising two adopted boys; and a divorced couple who organize their lives around caring for their disabled son. The Gores also share stories drawn from their own experiences, and in chapters on such issues as communication, money, play, and resilience, they provide invaluable insight into the ways families are responding - often with astonishing courage and grace - to the extraordinary challenges they face every day.
Spirit of the Family Synopsis
In this collection of more than 250 extraordinary photographs, Al and Tipper Gore visually explore the central relationships that define us and bind us together. The images presented here show the emotional richness of American families, their remarkable diversity, and the many ways in which they are discovering a new strength and spirit. Over the last two generations, the family has undergone a profound transformation. Torn between new demands at work and new complexities at home, Americans find themselves in a balancing act. Changing roles, new gender and age configurations, more single parenting, and interfaith and interracial marriage have all required new perspectives on what it means to be a family. But whether they adhere to traditional family structures or embrace new kinds of relationships, Americans are making remarkable efforts to provide for, comfort, nurture, heal, and love one another. Rejoicing in a baby's exploration of her new world, juggling hectic daily schedules, coping with the long-term care of an elderly parent -- in these and countless other ways, families of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds are building and strengthening the bonds that lie at the heart of every family. With these dynamic and intimate black-and-white and color photographs, the Gores illustrate the myriad experiences of the American family. Selected from more than 15,000 images, the photographs in The Spirit of Family present an inspiring, wide-ranging body of work. Collected here are the images of such renowned art photographers as Tina Barney, Mitch Epstein, Lee Friedlander, Sally Mann, Mary Ellen Mark, and Nicholas Nixon; the work of National Geographic photojournalists William Albert Allard, Jodi Cobb, and David Alan Harvey; and relatively unknown works by a group of women who specialize in lyrical photographs of their own children, including Debbie Fleming Caffery, Maude Schuyler Clay, and Jennette Williams. Snapshots are juxtaposed with expansive compositions, while stylized portraits are interspersed with candid moments, vividly bringing to life the experience of families from every part of our nation. A compelling visual narrative, The Spirit of Family reveals the unique challenges and opportunities facing today's families -- and shows the character and vitality with which they are responding. At once fresh and timeless, these photographs offer a moving vision of our most essential relationships.
Earth in the Balance Synopsis
A pA*ionate and lifelong defender of the environment, Vice President Al Gore describes in this clA*ic best-selling book how human actions and decisions can endanger or safeguard the vulnerable ecosystem that sustains us all. The book's groundbreaking analysis helped place the environment on the national agenda, summoning politicians, the media, and the public to attention and action. The message remains just as urgent today as it did eight years ago: while much has been accomplished, we must meet a global environmental challenge that reaches into every aspect of our society. In brave and unforgettable terms, Earth in the Balance probes the roots of the environmental crisis and offers a bold and forceful vision of a new, more sustainable path. Having provoked international discussion upon its original publication, it continues to confront us with profound challenges. Human civilization must change its course if we are to heal our ailing environment and preserve the earth's ecology for future generations. Vice President Gore describes in a new foreword to this clA*ic what we have achieved and what remains to be done, and issues a clarion call to begin the millennium with an "Environment Decade." It is time to reflect deeply on the fate of our planet and commit ourselves to its future.
Common Sense Government Synopsis
The federal government is ailing and needs a cure. The cure lies in embracing a principle long known to the American people but little recognized by Washington - until now: common sense. In this pathbreaking report, Vice President Al Gore, presiding over the National Performance Review, at the request of President Clinton, charts a fundamental shift in how government conducts itself. This report understands that a government that recognizes who its real customers are, works with them to understand their needs, and puts them first, not last, is a government that deserves to govern.
Let the Glory Out Synopsis
This memoir by Al Gore, Sr., the distinguished Congressman from Tennessee, chronicles his life in the South and his love for that region, and his political career, with emphasis on his populist stance. This edition includes the text of the speech that his son, Albert Gore, Jr. delivered at a 1998 memorial service.
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