Implement the new features of Citrix NetScaler 11 to optimize and deploy secure web services on multiple virtualization platformsAbout This BookLearn how to design, set up, and deploy NetScaler VPX along with the new Jumbo frames in a virtual environment using your GUI as well as your CLI for both public and private clouds to make all your web applications faster and more secureEnrich your networking skills utilizing the new features of AAA by following the instructions to optimize network trafficA step-by-step guide that will show you how to work with the latest NetScaler, 11, by implementing its new features using sample scenarios and real-world examples Who This Book Is For This book is for Citrix administrators who are just getting started with NetScaler, have some basic networking skills This book does not require prior experience of NetScaler.What You Will LearnConfigure different VPN solutions and learn about ICA Proxy, Unified Gateway and SSL VPNSet up load balancing for SharePoint, Exchange, Lync, SQL and other Citrix componentsGain insights into traffic management with NetScaler, Wireshark, and Citrix InsightProtect your web services with an application firewall, HTTP, DOS, and AAAOptimize traffic using front-end optimization, caching, and compressionDeploy a high availability environmentUse NetScaler in public cloud providers such as Azure or AmazonAdvance your network knowledge of TCP and SSL optimization In Detail With a large demand for responsive websites and availability of services, IT administrators are faced with an ever-rising need for services that are optimized for speed. NetScaler VPX is a software-based virtual appliance that provides users with the comprehensive NetScaler feature set. Implementing apps and cloud-based services is much easier with its increased service performance and integrated security features. This book will give you an insight into all the new features that NetScaler VPXhas to offer. Starting off with the basics, you will learn how to set NetScaler up and configure it in a virtual environment including the new features available in version 11, such as unified gateway and portal theme customization. Next, the book will cover how to deploy NetScalar on Azure and Amazon, and you will also discover how to integrate it with an existing Citrix infrastructure. Next, you will venture into other topics such as load balancing Microsoft and Citrix solutions, configuring different forms of high availability Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB), and network optimization. You will also learn how to troubleshoot and analyze data using NetScaler's extensive array of features. Finally, you will discover how to protect web services using an application firewall and will get to grips with other features such as HTTP, DOS, and AAA.Style and approach This easy-to-follow guide is full of detailed step-by step-instructions on how to implement the key components in NetScaler, using real-world examples and sample scenarios.

Design, build, and program your own remarkable robots with JavaScript and open source hardware About This Book Learn how to leverage Johnny-Five's Read, Eval, Print Loop, and Event API to write robot code with JavaScript Unlock a world of exciting possibilities by hooking your JavaScript-programmed robots up to the internet and using external data and APIs Move your project code from the Arduino Uno to a multitude of other robotics platforms Who This Book Is For If you've worked with Arduino before or are new to electronics and would like to try writing sketches in JavaScript, then this book is for you! Basic knowledge of JavaScript and Node.js will help you get the most out of this book. What You Will Learn Familiarise yourself with Johnny-Five Read, Eval, and Print Loop (REPL) to modify and debug robotics code in real time Build robots with basic output devices to create projects that light up, make noise, and more Create projects with complex output devices, and employ the Johnny-Five API to simplify the use of components that require complex interfaces, such as I2C Make use of sensors and input devices to allow your robotics projects to survey the world around them and accept input from users Use the Sensor and Motor objects to make it much easier to move your robotics projects Learn about the Animation API that will allow you to program complex movements using timing and key frames Bring in other devices to your Johnny-Five projects, such as USB devices and remotes Connect your Johnny-Five projects to external APIs and create your own Internet of Things! In Detail There has been a rapid rise in the use of JavaScript in recent times in a variety of applications, and JavaScript robotics has seen a rise in popularity too. Johnny-Five is a framework that gives NodeBots a consistent API and platform across several hardware systems. This book walks you through basic robotics projects including the physical hardware builds and the JavaScript code for them. You'll delve into the concepts of Johnny-Five and JS robotics. You'll learn about various components such as Digital GPIO pins, PWM output pins, Sensors, servos, and motors to be used with Johnny-Five along with some advanced components such as I2C, and SPI. You will learn to connect your Johnny-Five robots to internet services and other NodeBots to form networks. By the end of this book, you will have explored the benefits of the Johnny-Five framework and the many devices it unlocks. Style and approach This step-by-step guide to the Johnny-Five ecosystem is explained in a conversational style, packed with examples and tips. Each chapter also explores the Johnny-Five documentation to enable you to start exploring the API on your own.

Explore architectural approaches to building Data Lakes that ingest, index, manage, and analyze massive amounts of data using Big Data technologies About This Book Comprehend the intricacies of architecting a Data Lake and build a data strategy around your current data architecture Efficiently manage vast amounts of data and deliver it to multiple applications and systems with a high degree of performance and scalability Packed with industry best practices and use-case scenarios to get you up-and-running Who This Book Is For This book is for architects and senior managers who are responsible for building a strategy around their current data architecture, helping them identify the need for a Data Lake implementation in an enterprise context. The reader will need a good knowledge of master data management, information lifecycle management, data governance, data product design, data engineering, and systems architecture. Also required is experience of Big Data technologies such as Hadoop, Spark, Splunk, and Storm. What You Will Learn Identify the need for a Data Lake in your enterprise context and learn to architect a Data Lake Learn to build various tiers of a Data Lake, such as data intake, management, consumption, and governance, with a focus on practical implementation scenarios Find out the key considerations to be taken into account while building each tier of the Data Lake Understand Hadoop-oriented data transfer mechanism to ingest data in batch, micro-batch, and real-time modes Explore various data integration needs and learn how to perform data enrichment and data transformations using Big Data technologies Enable data discovery on the Data Lake to allow users to discover the data Discover how data is packaged and provisioned for consumption Comprehend the importance of including data governance disciplines while building a Data Lake In Detail A Data Lake is a highly scalable platform for storing huge volumes of multistructured data from disparate sources with centralized data management services. It eliminates the need for up-front modeling and rigid data structures by allowing schema-less writes. Data Lakes make it possible to ask complex far-reaching questions to find out hidden data patterns and relationships. This book explores the potential of Data Lakes and explores architectural approaches to building data lakes that ingest, index, manage, and analyze massive amounts of data using batch and real-time processing frameworks. It guides you on how to go about building a Data Lake that is managed by Hadoop and accessed as required by other Big Data applications such as Spark, Storm, Hive, and so on, to create an environment in which data from different sources can be meaningfully brought together and analyzed. Data Lakes can be viewed as having three capabilities—intake, management, and consumption. This book will take readers through each of these processes of developing a Data Lake and guide them (using best practices) in developing these capabilities. It will also explore often ignored, yet crucial considerations while building Data Lakes, with the focus on how to architect data governance, security, data quality, data lineage tracking, metadata management, and semantic data tagging. By the end of this book, you will have a good understanding of building a Data Lake for Big Data. You will be able to utilize Data Lakes for efficient and easy data processing and analytics. Style and approach Data Lake Development with Big Data provides architectural approaches to building a Data Lake. It follows a use case-based approach where practical implementation scenarios of each key component are explained. It also helps you understand how these use cases are implemented in a Data Lake. The chapters are organized in a way that mimics the sequential data flow evidenced in a Data Lake.

Take your expertise to the next level by unraveling various techniques to customize TFS 2015About This BookLearn how to efficiently modify your TFS-specific dashboards for complex server pluginsFind out the pros and cons of various extension points and customizations in TFSA fast-paced guide with highly concentrated information on TFS customizations Who This Book Is For This book is intended for anyone with experience with TFS, and in particular, those intermediate users who want to add more value to their organization by making its TFS users more productive. The book requires basic coding skills.What You Will LearnCustomize TFS 2015 dashboard and administer various componentsConfigure board cards, swim lanes, and columnsExplore the types of changes that can be made on the TFS process templatesCreate your own custom control for the Web and client work item formsBuild up new check-in policiesGet to grips with your personal server plugins and their usesCustomize both XAML builds and the new build systemSchedule jobs for more complicated business rules to run on a scheduleExtend your TFS possibilities with service hooks and VSO extensions In Detail Team Foundation Server is an efficacious collaboration tools that will allow you to share code, track records, software, all in a single package. Integrate it with your existing IDE or editor and let your team work in a flexible environment that adapts to projects of all shapes and sizes. Explore what gives you the edge over other developers by knowing the tips and quick fixes of customizing TFS. Effectively minimize the time users spend interacting with TFS so that they can be more productive. In this book you will quickly cover lots of TFS extension points, from the very basic task of customizing and configuring dashboards to customizing automated builds and check-in policies. You will learn how to create dashboards in TFS 2015, as well as add tiles, graphs, and more useful modifications. You'll perform customizations that make TFS work for you by streamlining your team’s boards. You'll cast modifications to the process template and learn the tips and tricks required to make efficient and valuable uses of your team’s board. From team-specific dashboards to complex server plugins, everything is covered in this concentrated guide to aid your knowledge. Delving deep, this book covers the pros and cons of check-in policies, as well as their proper debugging and deployment strategies. After that you will learn about advanced XAML builds and TFS jobs to further experiment with the activities of your jobs on your system. Finally, you will learn about service hooks and the amazing utility of .VSO extensions to help you create new extensions and explore new levels of customization.Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide with clearly explained and demonstrated examples.

Master GUI programming in Tkinter as you design, implement, and deliver ten real-world applications from start to finish About This Book Conceptualize and build state-of-art GUI applications with Tkinter Tackle the complexity of just about any size GUI application with a structured and scalable approach A project-based, practical guide to get hands-on into Tkinter GUI development Who This Book Is For Software developers, scientists, researchers, engineers, students, or programming hobbyists with basic familiarity in Python will find this book interesting and informative. People familiar with basic programming constructs in other programming language can also catch up with some brief reading on Python. No GUI programming experience is expected. What You Will Learn Get to know the basic concepts of GUI programming, such as Tkinter top-level widgets, geometry management, event handling, using callbacks, custom styling, and dialogs Create apps that can be scaled in size or complexity without breaking down the core Write your own GUI framework for maximum code reuse Build apps using both procedural and OOP styles, understanding the strengths and limitations of both styles Learn to structure and build large GUI applications based on Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture Build multithreaded and database-driven apps Create apps that leverage resources from the network Learn basics of 2D and 3D animation in GUI applications Develop apps that can persist application data with object serialization and tools such as configparser In Detail Tkinter is the built-in GUI package that comes with standard Python distributions. It is a cross-platform package, which means you build once and deploy everywhere. It is simple to use and intuitive in nature, making it suitable for programmers and non-programmers alike. This book will help you master the art of GUI programming. It delivers the bigger picture of GUI programming by building real-world, productive, and fun applications such as a text editor, drum machine, game of chess, media player, drawing application, chat application, screen saver, port scanner, and many more. In every project, you will build on the skills acquired in the previous project and gain more expertise. You will learn to write multithreaded programs, network programs, database driven programs and more. You will also get to know the modern best practices involved in writing GUI apps. With its rich source of sample code, you can build upon the knowledge gained with this book and use it in your own projects in the discipline of your choice. Style and approach An easy-to-follow guide, full of hands-on examples of real-world GUI programs. The first chapter is a must read as it explains most of the things you need to get started with writing GUI programs with Tkinter. Each subsequent chapter is a stand-alone project that discusses some aspects of GUI programming in detail. These chapters can be read sequentially or randomly depending upon the readers experience with Python.

Build mesmerizing visualizations, analytics, and logs from your data using Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana About This Book Solve all your data analytics problems with the ELK stack Explore the power of Kibana4 search and visualizations built over Elasticsearch queries and learn about the features and plugins of Logstash Develop a complete data pipeline using the ELK stack Who This Book Is For If you are a developer or DevOps engineer interested in building a system that provides amazing insights and business metrics out of data sources, of various formats and types, using the open source technology stack that ELK provides, then this book is for you. Basic knowledge of Unix or any programming language will be helpful to make the most out of this book. What You Will Learn Install, configure, and run Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana Understand the need for log analytics and the current challenges in log analysis Build your own data pipeline using the ELK stack Familiarize yourself with the key features of Logstash and the variety of input, filter, and output plugins it provides Build your own custom Logstash plugin Create actionable insights using charts, histograms, and quick search features in Kibana4 Understand the role of Elasticsearch in the ELK stack In Detail The ELK stack—Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana, is a powerful combination of open source tools. Elasticsearch is for deep search and data analytics. Logstash is for centralized logging, log enrichment, and parsing. Kibana is for powerful and beautiful data visualizations. In short, the Elasticsearch ELK stack makes searching and analyzing data easier than ever before. This book will introduce you to the ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana) stack, starting by showing you how to set up the stack by installing the tools, and basic configuration. You’ll move on to building a basic data pipeline using the ELK stack. Next, you’ll explore the key features of Logstash and its role in the ELK stack, including creating Logstash plugins, which will enable you to use your own customized plugins. The importance of Elasticsearch and Kibana in the ELK stack is also covered, along with various types of advanced data analysis, and a variety of charts, tables ,and maps. Finally, by the end of the book you will be able to develop full-fledged data pipeline using the ELK stack and have a solid understanding of the role of each of the components. Style and approach This book is a step-by-step guide, complete with various examples to solve your data analytics problems by using the ELK stack to explore and visualize data.

Gabe Figaret, an ex-psychologist turned writer, now works in a bookshop in Paris. He lives a quiet life as he attempts to rehabilitate his psyche from the ravages of his past. While he'd prefer to probe his own mind rather than a stranger's, he cannot refuse when Reynard, a doctor and one of his regular customers, asks Gabe to mentor a patient, a mysterious young woman named Angelina.Angelina is shy. She is mute and delusional. At first, she appears to be terrified of Reynard. But Gabe quickly discovers that Angelina is not quite what she seems. As his relationship with the enigmatic Angelina deepens, Gabe's life in Paris becomes increasingly unstable. He senses a presence watching, lurking, following his every move.When Angelina tells Gabe that he must kill her, and then flee to a fantastical realm she calls Morgravia, he is aghast. But Angelina gives him proof that Morgravia is not a delusion; it is real. Soon, Gabe's world will be turned upside down, and he will learn shocking truths about his past, and the perilous trials in his future.

When 34-year-old Chloe Morgan appears on Hank Oliver's doorstep in Cameron, Arizona, she arrives with more than her old white German shepherd, Hannah, and a rambunctious horse in tow. Chloe is pregnant with Hank's child, and she's as tough-talking and vulnerable, skittish and tender as when last we saw her, in Jo-Ann Mapson's acclaimed first novel Hank & Chloe. Loving Chloe takes up where the earlier novel leaves off. As Chloe and Hank settle somewhat uneasily into domesticity in his grandmother's cabin, a local Navajo legend named Junior Whitebear, an artist whose work has been praised by the eastern commercial establishment, returns home to collect his father's ashes and renew his own spirit after years spent in the art world fast lane. When Junior arrives at the reservation, he doesn't expect to find a son he fathered unwittingly nine years ago with Corinne Johnson; nor is he looking to fall in love with newcomer Chloe Morgan and to deliver her baby girl. Both events change his life forever, not to mention the lives of those around him. A passionate love story, Loving Chloe explores the emotional complexity of a love triangle with sympathy, humor and compassion. Sexual longing, the bonds of family and nagging questions of identity with far-reaching consequences making Loving Chloe a rich, rewarding work of fiction. Set against the spectacular beauty of the American Southwest, Jo-Ann Mapson's new novel is the page-turning sequel to Hank & Chloe that readers have eagerly been awaiting.

Another triumph.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)Poised between the shores of Africa and the developed coastline of continental Europe, Tel Aviv is home to a large refugee population. Many immigrants walk its streets, desperately yearning for a new life. To assist them, Michal Poleg, an ardent young activist, volunteers with the city’s Office of Migrant Aid. But as badly as these immigrants would like to stay, there are more than a few locals who want them to leave. And when Michal is found dead in her apartment, her involvement with the controversial asylum seekers seems an obvious starting point in the search for answers.Officer Anat Nachmias has never been asked to lead an investigation until she is assigned to Michal’s case. But the deeper Anat delves into Michal’s activism, the more she is convinced that the working theory is wrong, especially when she doesn’t believe a word of the young African man who soon confesses to the crime. What she does believe is that Michal, a petite, opinionated woman, got herself involved in something much bigger, and far more dangerous, than she could handle.Joined by Michal’s clumsy but charming boss, Itai, Anat descends into a shadowy, amoral underworld—and what she discovers will shock the city, setting in motion events that will have dramatic, far-reaching consequences.“An amazing thriller. . . . Extremely well-written, this plot is one that will stay in the memory for a good, long time to come.”—Suspense Magazine

Written in radiant prose and with stunning psychological acuity, award-winning author Sarah Cornwell's What I Had Before I Had You is a deeply poignant story that captures the joys and sorrows of growing up and learning to let go.Olivia Reed was fifteen when she left her hometown of Ocean Vista on the Jersey Shore. Two decades later, divorced and unstrung, she returns with her teenage daughter, Carrie, and nine-year-old son, Daniel, recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Distracted by thoughts of the past, Olivia fails to notice when Daniel disappears from her side. Her frantic search for him sparks memories of the summer of 1987, when she exploded out of the cocoon of her mother's fierce, smothering love and into a sudden, full-throttle adolescence, complete with dangerous new friends, first love, and a rebellion so intense that it utterly recharted the course of her life.Olivia's mother, Myla, was a practicing psychic whose powers waxed and waned along with her mercurial moods. Myla raised Olivia to be a guarded child, and also to believe in the ever-present infant ghosts of her twin sisters, whom Myla took care of as if they were alive—diapers, baby food, an empty nursery kept like a shrine. At fifteen, Olivia saw her sisters for the first time, not as ghostly infants but as teenagers on the beach. But when Myla denied her vision, Olivia set out to learn the truth—a journey that led to shattering discoveries about herself and her family.Sarah Cornwell seamlessly weaves together the past and the present in this riveting debut novel, as she examines the relationships between mothers and daughters, and the powerful forces of loss, family history, and magical thinking.

An undertaker with a past he'd rather forget, Nick Graves has finally found some measure of peace and happiness in the small town of Ocean on the edge of the desert. Others, however, are nowhere near as lucky—particularly rancher Joseph Van Meter, a good man whose whole family is mercilessly slaughtered by marauding outlaws. Now, more than anything, Van Meter wants blood vengeance . . . and he wants Nick Graves to be his killer angel. Nick's seen a lot of death—and has dispensed a fair share himself—and he recognizes the pain that's eating Joseph alive. But just as important as seeing justice done, Nick wants to save the broken soul who rides beside him. Because when a man's got nothing to lose, he tends to get crazy—and the innocent as well as the deserving often wind up dead.

A dark and twisted psychological tale, which Kirkus Reviews called "captivating to the very end" in a starred review—perfect for fans of I Hunt Killers and Gone Girl.Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money. So with the help of his friend Preston and his girlfriend, Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something, and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn't think twice about it. But then Preston never comes home. And the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead to Preston's body.Terrifying clues that point to Max as the killer….

Contains the complete text of both Secret of the Clans and Code of the Clans . Welcome to the world of ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and SkyClan. . . . Here, the secrets behind the Clans are revealed. Find out how apprentices learn to fight, hunt, and help their Clans. Explore the territories with an insiders-only tour. Discover the origins of the warrior code, which governs how Clan cats live side by side in times of war and peace.

Are you a guy who interested in building rock hard muscle, erasing your belly fat, boosting your testosterone, and having more mind-blowing sex than you thought possibleIf so, then Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha was written specifically for you... In his new book, celebrity trainer and Men Health expert John 'Roman' Romaniello teams up with expert Adam Bornstein, former editor for both Men Health and LIVESTRONG. Together, they reveal the secrets they've discovered that will give any man no matter how old you are a chiseled body that will turn heads everywhere you go. You know the kind of body I'm talking about. The kind of body that women seem to drool and stare at when they're at the beach with their girlfriends... As a former 'fat guy,' Roman struggled for years to find a workout and diet that would give him the body he always wanted. By using the very secrets you'll find in this book techniques he spent 10 years perfecting he overcame his 'fat genes' and boasts a lean and ripped body the kind that could be (and has been) seen on the cover of magazines. And the best part is you don't have to kill yourself to get this body. Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha will show you exactly how to get the body you've always wanted without starving yourself and without spending 2 hours in the gym every day. And for all of the guys out there wondering... YES! Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha will even work for guys in their 30s, 40s, and 50s... Getting lean, ripped, and strong is not just for young guys! In Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha , Romaniello and Adam Bornstein present proven, powerful ways for men to improve physical, emotional, sexual, and psychological health. From research in Olympic labs to real-life results with their clients, they are reinventing masculinity and showing every man how to become exactly who he wants to be... If you're ready to build strong, defined muscles, burn away your belly fat, boost your testosterone, and start experiencing more mind blowing sex than you ever thought was possible then grab your copy of Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha now...

Illuminating and essential, Big Questions from Little People is a timeless gift, a handbook for curious children and their perplexed parents. Many of the questions children ask in the course of growing up can stump even the best educated adult: Why can't I tickle myselfAre we all relatedWho named all the citiesDo aliens existWhat makes me meIs it okay to eat a wormWho invented chocolateIf the universe started from nothing, how did it become somethingHow do you fall in loveWho is GodHow do chefs get ideas for recipesWhy are some people meanThis charming and informative collection has been compiled from schoolchildren's actual questions, which are answered by the world's greatest experts, including Mary Roach, Richard Dawkins, Philip Pullman, Bear Grylls, David Eagleman, Philippa Gregory, Noam Chomsky, and Mario Batali.

Unicorns are just like us. They have problems, stresses, and like to blow off some steam. Author and illustrator C. W. Moss explores the inner psyche of the single-horned in Why Unicorn Drinks . A follow-up to Unicorn Being a Jerk , this volume of 67 four-color illustrations and captions gives readers a glimpse into the sad reality of life as a mythical creature, and reveals what drives Unicorn to the bottle. As fans of Moss' online comic undoubtedly know, Why Unicorn Drinks pours a double-shot of laughter and irreverence. You'll never look at a unicorn the same way again.

You can't always decide where life will take you--especially when you're a kid. Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her better judgment, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own Iives. Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her beter judgement, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own lives.

Abdullah was a young and not very prosperous carpet dealer. His father, who had been disappointed in him, had left him only enough money to open a modest booth in the Bazaar. When he was not selling carpets, Abdullah spent his time daydreaming. In his dreams he was not the son of his father, but the long-lost son of a prince. There was also a princess who had been betrothed to him at birth. He was content with his life and his daydreams until, one day, a stranger sold him a magic carpet. In this stunning sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones has again created a large-scale, fast-paced fantasy in which people and things are never quite what they seem. There are good and bad djinns, a genie in a bottle, wizards, witches, cats and dogs (but are they cats and dogs?), and a mysterious floating castle filled with kidnapped princesses, as well as two puzzling prophecies. The story speeds along with tantalizing twists and turns until the prophecies are fulfilled, true identities are revealed, and all is resolved in a totally satisfying, breathtaking, surprise-filled ending.

A Far-out adventure! The President of the United States has chosen Stanley Lambchop and his family to become the first humans to fly in the Star Scout, a new top-secret spaceship. Stanley's most exciting adventure is about to begin. He'll meet the Queen of England, have a birthday party in outer space, and save a whole planet of aliens from danger. Oh, that Stanley!

Is Stanley flat again!Stanley Lambchop has had his share of unusual adventures. But being flat was one thing he thought he was through with forever. Then one morning, he discovers he was wrong. Still, there is so much that a boy who is only one inch thick can do that a round person can’t. Maybe this time, all it will take is one amazing event for everything to finally make sense.

This "masterful treatment of one of the most complex periods of American history" (New Republic ) made history when it was originally published in 1988. It redefined how Reconstruction was viewed by historians and people everywhere in its chronicling of how Americans -- black and white -- responded to the unprecedented changes unleashed by the war and the end of slavery. This "smart book of enormous strengths" (Boston Globe ) has since gone on to become the classic work on the wrenching post-Civil War period -- an era whose legacy reverberates still today in the United States.