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When Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was an infant, her family was told she would become a great woman. But assuring words, unfortunately, were not enough to shield Africa's first woman president from a life of hardship, which included an abusive marriage.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, is the first democratically elected woman leader in Africa. Since taking office in 2006, Johnson Sirleaf has fought to reconstruct the state and rescue Liberia's failing economy.

Psychologist Richard Weissbourd contends that parents who are obsessed with their children's happiness are ignoring other important values — like goodness, empathy, appreciation and caring — that are necessary to a well-rounded personality.

Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into the public flogging of a teenage girl by the Taliban, which was caught on video. The incident happened in Pakistan's Swat Valley, where the government is forging a peace deal with the Taliban. The flogging has ignited a debate over whether the authorities should be making peace with the militants, and whether that kind of cruel punishment may spread across the country.

When author Rebecca Flowers was downsized twice in three months, she crawled into bed to console herself with books about other women in similar situations.

Deborah Wiles isn't afraid to write about life's most serious issues. Her popular books deal with the joys of childhood — but they also grapple with intolerance, death, rejection and the difficulty of having to do what's right instead of what's easy.

British comic Russell Brand is known for his outlandish appearance, sharp wit and no-holds-barred language. He's put his over-the-top comedy on the page with his new memoir My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-up.

Author, doctor and bioethicist Robert Martensen has treated an estimated 75,000 patients in the emergency room and the ICU. In his new book, A Life Worth Living Martensen presents case studies that illustrate the problems and complexities of American health care system

Commentator James Martin, a Jesuit priest, notes that Lent is coming to a close. That news may prompt some people to say, "Thank God!" Lent is seen as a time of penance, of giving things up — and of, well, seriousness. Part of this is due to the inability to see the value of humor in the spiritual life. That's one reason why humor — especially self-deprecating humor — is important. It keeps you humble.

In his new book One Nation Under Dog, Michael Schaffer investigates the booming pet-care industry. He discusses how the $43 billion business reflects our ideas about consumerism, family, politics and domesticity.