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The Boys in the Light: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood
by Nina Willner
The extraordinary and inspiring true story of a band of young U.S. soldiers who fought together in World War II and, in the throes of combat, rescued two survivors-one of them the author's father--from Hitler's plot to exterminate the Jews of Europe. The "Boys in the Light" follows the parallel journeys of Company D and Eddie Willner, the author's father, as they experience two sides of World War II. This is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of the bonds forged during war; a must-read for fans of "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand and Erik Larson's "The Splendid and the Vile".
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Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars
by Kliph Nesteroff
From Mae West through Johnny Carson, Amos‘n' Andy through Beavis and Butt-Head, a celebrated cultural historian chronicles the controversies of American show business and the ongoing attempts to change what we watch, read and hear.
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The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century
by Tim Weiner
A history of the CIA in the 21st century spans from 9/11 through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to today's battles with Russia and China - and with the President of the United States.
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The Gates of Gaza: a Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel's Borderlands
by Amir Tibon
On the morning of Saturday, October 7, Amir Tibon and his wife were awakened by mortar rounds exploding near their home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a progressive Israeli settlement along the Gaza border. Soon, they were holding their two young daughters in the family's reinforced safe room, urging their children not to cry while they listened to the gunfire from Hamas attackers outside their windows. With his cell phone battery running low, Amir texted his father: "They're here." Some 45 miles to the north, on the shores of Tel Aviv, Amir's parents saw the news at the same time that they received Amir's note. Still dripping from an early-morning swim, they jumped in their car and raced toward Nahal Oz, armed only with a pistol--but intent on saving their family at all costs. In "The Gates of Gaza", Amir Tibon tells his family's harrowing story in full for the first time, describing their terrifying ordeal--and the bravery that ultimately led to their rescue--alongside the histories of the place they call home and the systems of power that have kept them and their neighbors in Gaza in harm's way for decades, with no end in sight. Tibon offers an unsparing but ultimately hopeful view of this seemingly intractable conflict and its global reverberations.
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Source Code: My Beginnings
by Bill Gates
The software giant explores his personal journey, recounting his early influences, friendships, family and first steps in computing that paved the way for his revolutionary career and later philanthropic focus, offering an intimate look at the experiences that shaped him.
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The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want
by Emily M. Bender
Is artificial intelligence going to take over the world? Have big tech scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to put authors, artists, and others out of business? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything? The answer to these questions, linguist Emily M. Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna make clear, is "no," "they wish," "LOL," and "definitely not." This kind of thinking is a symptom of a phenomenon known as "AI hype." Hype looks and smells fishy: It twists words and helps the rich get richer by justifying data theft, motivating surveillance capitalism, and devaluing human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. In "The AI Con", Bender and Hanna offer a sharp, witty, and wide-ranging take-down of AI hype across its many forms. Bender and Hanna show you how to spot AI hype, how to deconstruct it, and how to expose the power grabs it aims to hide. Armed with these tools, you will be prepared to push back against AI hype at work, as a consumer in the marketplace, as a skeptical newsreader, and as a citizen holding policymakers to account. Together, Bender and Hanna expose AI hype for what it is: a mask for Big Tech's drive for profit, with little concern for who it affects.
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