Futureface

From the host of MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight, “a rich and revealing memoir” (The New York Times) about her travels around the globe to solve the mystery of her ancestry, confronting the question at the heart of the American experience of immigration, race, and identity: Who are my people? “A thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are . . . and the values and ideals that bind us together as Americans.”—Barack Obama The daughter of a Burmese mother and a white American father, Alex Wagner grew up thinking of herself as a “futureface”—an avatar of a mixed-race future when all races would merge into a brown singularity. But when one family mystery leads to another, Wagner’s post-racial ideals fray as she becomes obsessed with the specifics of her own family’s racial and ethnic history. Drawn into the wild world of ancestry, she embarks upon a quest around the world—and into her own DNA—to answer the ultimate questions of who she really is and where she belongs. The journey takes her from Burma to Luxembourg, from ruined colonial capitals with records written on banana leaves to Mormon databases, genetic labs, and the rest of the twenty-first-century genealogy complex. But soon she begins to grapple with a deeper question: Does it matter? Is our enduring obsession with blood and land, race and identity, worth all the trouble it’s caused us? Wagner weaves together fascinating history, genetic science, and sociology but is really after deeper stuff than her own ancestry: in a time of conflict over who we are as a country, she tries to find the story where we all belong. Praise for Futureface “Smart, searching . . . Meditating on our ancestors, as Wagner’s own story shows, can suggest better ways of being ourselves.”—Maud Newton, The New York Times Book Review “Sincere and instructive . . . This timely reflection on American identity, with a bonus exposé of DNA ancestry testing, deserves a wide audience.”—Library Journal “The narrative is part Mary Roach–style participation-heavy research, part family history, and part exploration of existential loneliness. . . . The journey is worth taking.”—Kirkus Reviews “[A] ruminative exploration of ethnicity and identity . . . Wagner’s odyssey is an effective riposte to anti-immigrant politics.”—Publishers Weekly

For anyone who is interested in genealogy and DNA profiling, this is the story of a journalist who travels the world to solve the mystery of her ancestry, facing questions about American identity and what it means to belong. Now adapted for young readers from the acclaimed adult memoir. Who are my people? Where am I from? With a Burmese mother and a white American father, Alex Wagner grew up thinking of herself as a "futureface"--an example of what the mixed-race future of America would look like. Her father's ancestors immigrated to the United States from Ireland and Luxembourg. Her mother fled Burma--now Myanmar--with her family in the 1960s. When Alex learns that her ancestry might be more mysterious than she believed, she becomes obsessed with learning everything there is to know about her ethnic and racial history. Her journey takes her from Burma to Luxembourg, from birth records written on banana leaves to high-tech genetic labs and online ancestry profiles. Through a blend of history, science, and sociology, Alex tries to solve the mysteries of her family and what it means to be American. What makes us think of certain people as "us" and others as "them"? In a time of conflict over who we are as a country, she tries to find the story where we all belong. Praise for the adult edition of Futureface "A thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are." --Barack Obama "Smart, timely, and moving." --Eddie Huang, bestselling author of Fresh Off the Boat "A rich and revealing memoir." --The New York Times

For anyone who is interested in genealogy and DNA profiling, this is the story of a journalist who travels the world to solve the mystery of her ancestry, facing questions about American identity and what it means to belong. Now adapted for young readers from the acclaimed adult memoir. Who are my people? Where am I from? With a Burmese mother and a white American father, Alex Wagner grew up thinking of herself as a "futureface"--an example of what the mixed-race future of America would look like. Her father's ancestors immigrated to the United States from Ireland and Luxembourg. Her mother fled Burma--now Myanmar--with her family in the 1960s. When Alex learns that her ancestry might be more mysterious than she believed, she becomes obsessed with learning everything there is to know about her ethnic and racial history. Her journey takes her from Burma to Luxembourg, from birth records written on banana leaves to high-tech genetic labs and online ancestry profiles. Through a blend of history, science, and sociology, Alex tries to solve the mysteries of her family and what it means to be American. What makes us think of certain people as "us" and others as "them"? In a time of conflict over who we are as a country, she tries to find the story where we all belong. Praise for the adult edition of Futureface "A thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are." --Barack Obama "Smart, timely, and moving." --Eddie Huang, bestselling author of Fresh Off the Boat "A rich and revealing memoir." --The New York Times

Women and beauty experts agree that great skin is beauty's square one. The good news is that with the latest advances in skin care, we truly can turn back the clock and have a gorgeous, younger-looking face. But the plethora of new treatments make choosing the right product or procedure more difficult than ever, and we often don't get the results we want. In Your Future Face, Dr. Dennis Gross, one of the country's leading dermatologists, provides the essential guide to radiant skin. Dr. Gross's unique program begins with a simple 'Skin Lifecycle Quiz,' which assesses your skin 'level' and pinpoints how and when your skin will age. Based on your score (Levels One-Four), Dr. Gross outlines a customized antiaging plan targeting your skin's specific vulnerabilities, while offering invaluable advice and information.

How military organizations trained for conventional war adapt—or fail to adapt—to nontraditional missions

Sam Kass, former chef to the Obamas and White House food policy advisor, makes it easier to do a little better for your diet--and the environment--every day, through smart ways to think about shopping, setting up your kitchen so the healthy stuff comes to hand most naturally, and through 90 delicious, simple recipes. JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • IACP AWARD FINALIST This book lays out Kass's plan to eat a little better. Knowing that sustainability and healthfulness come most, well, sustainably when new habits and choices seem appealing rather than drastic and punitive, Kass shares his philosophy and methods to help make it easy to choose, cook, and eat delicious foods without depriving yourself of agency or pleasure. He knows that going organic, local, and so forth all the time is just not realistic for most people, and that's ok--it's all about choosing and doing a little better, and how those choices add up to big change. It's the philosophy he helped the Obamas instill in their home, both in Chicago and that big white one in Washington.

This introduction to light for students and visual artists explores the way light can be used to create realistic and fantastical effects in a wide range of media. Divided into three parts, the clearly written text explains: the fundamental properties of natural and artificial light; how to create realistic images by observing people and the environment; the creative use of light in composition and design. Updated with revised photos and artwork, as well as 15 practical exercises and new online video material, this second edition is an indispensable resource for animators, digital illustrators, painters, photographers and artists working in any medium.

Marine Maxims is a collection of fifty principle-based leadership lessons that Thomas J. Gordon acquired commanding Marines over a career spanning three decades of service. Dealing with the complexities and challenges of the contemporary operating environment requires an internal moral compass fixed true. These maxims focus on developing inner citadels of character, moral courage, and the resilience to persevere in a contested domain where information is key. Its purpose is to provide future leaders with a professional development plan that will steel their resolve and enable them to lead with honor. Thematically, these maxims build upon a foundation of character, courage, and will. To be effective, a leader must model and inspire the will to persevere in the face of danger or adversity. The essence of effective leadership is credibility. A leader’s credibility is derived from a congruence of competence and character. Exceptional leaders are not remembered for what they accomplished, but how they did it. Those that lead with integrity will be remembered as a leader worth following.

One hundred years ago, a mysterious and alarming illness spread across America's South, striking tens of thousands of victims. No one knew what caused it or how to treat it. People were left weak, disfigured, insane, and in some cases, dead. Award-winning science and history writer Gail Jarrow tracks this disease, commonly known as pellagra, and highlights how doctors, scientists, and public health officials finally defeated it. Illustrated with 100 archival photographs, Red Madness includes stories about real-life pellagra victims and accounts of scientific investigations. It concludes with a glossary, timeline, further resources, author's note, bibliography, and index. This book is perfect to share with young readers looking for a historical perspective of the Covid-19/Coronavirus pandemic that is gripping the world today.