A remarkable account of the amazing life story of the man who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda Readers who were moved and horrified by Hotel Rwanda will respond even more intensely to Paul Rusesabagina’s unforgettable autobiography. As Rwanda was thrown into chaos during the 1994 genocide, Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, turned the luxurious Hotel Milles Collines into a refuge for more than 1,200 Tutsi and moderate Hutu refugees, while fending off their would-be killers with a combination of diplomacy and deception. In An Ordinary Man, he tells the story of his childhood, retraces his accidental path to heroism, revisits the 100 days in which he was the only thing standing between his “guests” and a hideous death, and recounts his subsequent life as a refugee and activist.

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography

Biographies & Memoirs

Rusesabagina, Paul

Zoellner, Tom

Community & Culture

Penguin??Books

A 2005 Civil Rights Freedom Award winner describes how he utilized his position as a hotel manager in violence-stricken Rwanda to offer shelter to more than twelve thousand members of the Tutsi clan and Hutu moderates, an act that inspired an Academy Award-nominated film. Simultaneous.

Historical

Penguin Audio

The astonishing biography of a mineral that can sustain our world- or destroy it Uranium occurs naturally in the earth's crust-yet holds the power to end all life on the planet. This is its fundamental paradox, and its story is a fascinating window into the valor, greed, genius, and folly of humanity. A problem for miners in the Middle Ages, an inspiration to novelists and a boon to medicine, a devastating weapon at the end of World War II, and eventually a polluter, killer, excuse for war with Iraq, potential deliverer of Armageddon and a possible last defense against global warming-Uranium is the riveting story of the most powerful element on earth, and one which will shape our future, for better or worse.

Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World

History

Military

Penguin Publishing Group

An epic and revelatory narrative of the most important transportation technology of the modern world In his wide-ranging and entertaining new book, Tom Zoellner—coauthor of the New York Times–bestselling An Ordinary Man—travels the globe to tell the story of the sociological and economic impact of the railway technology that transformed the world—and could very well change it again. From the frigid trans-Siberian railroad to the antiquated Indian Railways to the Japanese-style bullet trains, Zoellner offers a stirring story of this most indispensable form of travel. A masterful narrative history, Train also explores the sleek elegance of railroads and their hypnotizing rhythms, and explains how locomotives became living symbols of sex, death, power, and romance.

Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World--from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief

Literature & Fiction

Essays & Correspondence

The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire

In 2000, Tom Zoellner purchased a diamond engagement ring and proposed. His girlfriend said, "yes" and then, suddenly, walked out of his life making Tom the owner of a used engagement ring. Instead of hitting the self-help shelves of his local bookstore, he hit the road travelling to diamond mines in Africa, Canada, India, Brazil and Russia to discover the true worth of this shining gem. He travelled to Japan to understand how diamonds were linked with engagements and delved into the history of our own American romance with the diamond ring. He gained entry to DeBeers, the London diamond merchants. He visited shopping mall jewellers with starry-eyed couples. Through all of his travels, he searched for an answer to the question "How has one stone created empires, ruined lives, inspired lust and emptied wallets throughout history?" A diamond version of Susan Orleans's The Orchid Thief, Tom Zoellner's The Heartless Stone is a journey to the cold heart of the world's most unyielding gem.

Business & Money

Industries

St.Martin's Press

An adventure story in the tradition of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief, The Heartless Stone is a voyage into the cold heart of the world's most unyielding gem.
When he proposed to his girlfriend, Tom Zoellner gave what is expected of every American man--a diamond engagement ring. But when the relationship broke apart, he was left with a used diamond that began to haunt him. His obsession carried him around the globe, from the "blood diamond" rings of Africa; to the sweltering polishing factories of India; to mines above the Arctic Circle; to illegal diggings in Brazil; to the London headquarters of De Beers, the secretive global colossus that has dominated the industry for more than a century and permanently carved the phrase "A diamond is forever" on the psyche. 
The Heartless Stone goes beyond investigative reporting into the regions of the human heart that make the diamond empire possible. It has been called "a dazzling display of intrepid reporting" (Entertainment Weekly) and "an illuminating expose of a mineral and an industry" (The Wall Street Journal).
An American Library Association Notable Book

Economics

Picador

How well do you really know the older people in your family? And how will you make sure their stories will be preserved for generations to come? Homemade Biography is a fun and practical guide to recording a relative's story so it will never be forgotten. New York Times bestselling author Tom Zoellner, who wrote his own grandmother's biography, draws on years of interviewing and writing experience to provide: - More than 300 questions designed to provke vivid responses - Case studies of successful family biographies - A revolutionary technique for writing with grace and energy - Ways of finding a connective theme buried in a jumble of facts - Strategies for dealing with sensitive topics - Professional methods of editing for quality and accuracy - Tips for making your relative's story a part of the permanent historical record
Most of us think about bringing a tape recorder or a notebook to a visit with an older relative, but few actually do it. This clear-eyed manual gives you all the expertise you'll need to finish what could be one of the most fulfilling conversations you'll ever have.

Homemade Biography: How to Collect, Record, and Tell the Life Story of Someone You Love

St. Martin's: Griffin

The fascinating story of the most powerful source of energy the earth can yield Uranium is a common element in the earth's crust and the only naturally occurring mineral with the power to end all life on the planet. After World War II, it reshaped the global order-whoever could master uranium could master the world. Marie Curie gave us hope that uranium would be a miracle panacea, but the Manhattan Project gave us reason to believe that civilization would end with apocalypse. Slave labor camps in Africa and Eastern Europe were built around mine shafts and America would knowingly send more than six hundred uranium miners to their graves in the name of national security. Fortunes have been made from this yellow dirt; massive energy grids have been run from it. Fear of it panicked the American people into supporting a questionable war with Iraq and its specter threatens to create another conflict in Iran. Now, some are hoping it can help avoid a global warming catastrophe. In Uranium, Tom Zoellner takes readers around the globe in this intriguing look at the mineral that can sustain life or destroy it.

Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World

VIKING

A riveting account of the state of Arizona, seen through the lens of the Tucson shootingsOn January 8, 2011, twenty-two-year-old Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a Tucson meet-and-greet held by U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords. The incident left six people dead and eighteen injured, including Giffords, whom he shot in the head.
Award-winning author and fifth generation Arizonan Tom Zoellner, a longtime friend of Giffords's and a field organizer on her Congressional campaign, uses the tragedy as a jumping-off point to expose the fault lines in Arizona's political and socioeconomic landscape that allowed this to happen: the harmful political rhetoric, the inept state government, the lingering effects of the housing market's boom and bust, the proliferation and accessibility of guns, the lack of established communities, and the hysteria surrounding issues of race and immigration. Zoellner's account includes interviews with those directly involved and effected, including Arizona's controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Zoellner offers a revealing portrait of the Southwestern state at a critical moment in history- and as a symbol of the nation's discontents and uncertainties. Ultimately, it is his rallying cry for a saner, more civil way of life

A Safeway in Arizona: What the Gabrielle Giffords Shooting Tells Us About the Grand Canyon State and L ife in America

Americas

A revelatory, entertaining account of the world’s most indispensable mode of transportation Tom Zoellner loves trains with a ferocious passion. In his new book he chronicles the innovation and sociological impact of the railway technology that changed the world, and could very well change it again. From the frigid trans-Siberian railroad to the antiquated Indian Railways to the futuristic MagLev trains, Zoellner offers a stirring story of man’s relationship with trains. Zoellner examines both the mechanics of the rails and their engines and how they helped societies evolve. Not only do trains transport people and goods in an efficient manner, but they also reduce pollution and dependency upon oil. Zoellner also considers America’s culture of ambivalence to mass transit, using the perpetually stalled line between Los Angeles and San Francisco as a case study in bureaucracy and public indifference. Train presents both an entertaining history of railway travel around the world while offering a serious and impassioned case for the future of train travel.

Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World-from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief

Engineering & Transportation

Transportation

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Zoellner, Tom. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Zoellner, Tom

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Zoellner, Tom. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography

Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World

Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World--from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief

The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire

The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire

Homemade Biography: How to Collect, Record, and Tell the Life Story of Someone You Love

Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World

A Safeway in Arizona: What the Gabrielle Giffords Shooting Tells Us About the Grand Canyon State and L ife in America

Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World-from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief