Feb. 2008 Book Excerpts

This is where you can get information about many of the books discussed on The Early Show in February.

Friday, Feb. 29, 2008

"Body Signs: From Warning Signs to False Alarms...How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective," by Joan Liebmann-Smith and Jacqueline Egan

Sometimes, our bodies do things that seem funny, weird, or downright embarrassing. But how can you tell when these changes are momentary, or really a sign you need to visit the doctor? How can you figure out what your body may be trying to tell you?

In their new book, "Body Signs," Joan Liebmann-Smith and Jacqueline Nardi Egan show you how to decode the occurrences.

They discussed it on The Early Show. To see the segment,

To read an excerpt of "Body Signs," click here.

Wednesday, Feb.20, 2008

"Hope's Boy: A Memoir," by Andrew Bridge

"Hope's Boy" is a story of the triumph of the human spirit -- of one man's journey from foster care to Harvard Law School, and beyond.

There are over half-a-million children in the United States living in some kind of foster care. Two-thirds will be reunited with their birth parents within two years. Most of those who remain can spend years waiting for some kind of home.

"Hope's Boy," a gripping new memoir, sheds light on some of the hardships faced by one such child -- Andrew Bridge.

He was separated from his mentally ill mother and grew up in foster care and at Los Angeles' notorious MacLaren Hall. Years later, the state-run children's center faced child abuse allegations, and was closed in 2003.

Now a lawyer, Bridge overcame his childhood challenges and turned them into something good: the determination to fight for children's rights -- rights he never had as a boy.

And after a scholarship to Wesleyan University and that Harvard law degree, Bridge went on to be a founding director of the New Village School in L.A. -- and an advocate for children's rights.

To read an excerpt of "Hope's Boy," click here.

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008

"Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions," by Dan Ariely

When you shop, are you tempted to buy things you know you shouldn't? Stuff you don't need? Or that's too expensive?

In "Predictably Irrational," Dan Ariely explains what's at work, tempting us, and shows how to kick those habits, to save money.

He talked about it in The Early Show's continuing "Recession-Proofing Your Life" series. To see the segment,

To read excerpts of "Predictably Irrational," click here.

Monday, Feb. 11, 2008

"Celebutantes," by Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper

The weeks leading up to the Oscars are some of the craziest when it comes to Hollywood hoopla, and they're the subject of the new novel, "Celebutantes," by Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper.

It's a subject they know well: Goldberg's father, Leonard Goldberg, is a legendary film and TV producer, and Hopper's father, Dennis Hopper, is the famous actor.

The authors chronicle a young woman's experience in Tinseltown in the weeks before the Academy Awards are handed out and, while the novel is fictional, many of the situations and characters are based on real people.

They spoke about "Celebutantes" on The Early Show. To watch the segment,

To read an excerpt, click here.