|
|
|
|
|
|
The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill LeporeLepore is our best scholar of the culture of governance, and our most vital historian. Here she repudiates the prospect of AI as a replacement for democracy. This is the issue of our times, and Lepore is the voice of sanity.
|
|
|
|
Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece TemelkuranDear stranger. Are you home? Do you feel at home? For how much longer? Across the world the number of refugees and exiles, the dispossessed and displaced, the politically homeless and the economically excluded is growing. In the decade since she left her own home, Ece Temelkuran has been a political Cassandra, warning those convinced it couldn't happen in their country that fascism is coming. Now, as oppression spreads and temperatures rise--as we face competing crises and learn, again and again, that no institution is so concrete it can't turn to dust, and no home is too strong to be destroyed--she has written Nation of Strangers: a series of letters from one stranger to another. Politically attuned and deeply personal, this extraordinary, heartening correspondence is a gift to treasure in uncertain times. As poetic as it is precise, it is a book for anyone who feels alienated by an ever-more monstrous world. It shows how, as we all become strangers, our home will depend on the strength we find with one another.
|
|
|
|
The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia
by Robert Kolker
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road comes the heart-wrenching journey of a family facing an unthinkable destiny, whose flawed genetic code might hold the long-sought key to a cure for dementia. In the idyllic American town of Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania, there lived a family with nine siblings, the youngest a girl named Barb. As the older children headed off to college and started their lives, only Barb was home to see their beautiful, still-young mother fall under a gothic spell, changing into someone she didn't recognize: withdrawn, neglectful, uncaring. Thus begins The Vanishing Family, journalist Robert Kolker's superb follow-up to Hidden Valley Road (Deeply compassionate and chilling, wrote The Washington Post). This family, we learn, has a genetic mutation that causes dementia, but with an especially cruel twist. As early as their forties, formerly loving parents and hard-driving executives will lose their jobs, have affairs, take up drinking--shed all inhibitions and sense of responsibility--and become people their families hardly know. Their former personalities seem to vanish--and there is a fifty-fifty chance that it will happen to their children, too. The Vanishing Family unfolds like a heartbreaking thriller as the siblings begin to realize that what happened to their mother is happening to them: first one, then two, three, four, and more begin to change. Sue, in search of a calling, finds her place in caring for the others. Barb sets out to find a cure. Alongside their story, Kolker weaves in the dramatic scientific fight against dementia; after decades of blind alleys, this this family's rare form of FTD (frontotemporal dementia) might lead to a breakthrough in the prevention and treatment of all dementia--including the scourge of Alzheimer's disease. Moving, intimate, unexpectedly hopeful and redemptive, The Vanishing Family is an enthralling narrative about one family's fate, and a medical detective story that speaks to all of us who fear losing ourselves at the end.
|
|
|
|
Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country
by Andy Beshear
A compelling and insightful book that reclaims faith as a force for good in the age of Trump and rebukes those who use it to harm and discriminate, by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky, is the grandson of Baptist lay ministers, the son of a previous Kentucky governor, and a leading Democratic voice against the cruel, corrupt, and immoral practices of Donald Trump and his administration. In Go and Do Likewise, Beshear will share what his own faith has meant to him, how it has informed his family and his public life--and serves as a rebuke to how faith has been hijacked, profaned, misused, and corrupted by Donald Trump and other public figures. By regrounding faith in compassion and kindness, we can start to heal as a country. Go and Do Likewise takes its title from the story of the Good Samaritan. In the parable, Jesus describes how the Good Samaritan--a despised other at the time--stopped to help a stranger who had been beaten and left for dead and then calls on his followers to do likewise and care for everyone. Organized around the teachings of Jesus--stories of healing, of justice, of forgiveness, of welcome, of moral clarity--Go and Do Likewise transcends politics to remind Americans of the values grounded in service and acceptance. It is a book for everyone who believes in justice and doing right by their neighbor whether or not they support organized religion at all. Clear-eyed, compelling, and unusually candid, Go and Do Likewise is a hopeful book by one of America's brightest political lights.
|
|
|
|
Happy Snacking, Don't Die!: Foraging and Vegan Recipes with Black Forager (a Cookbook)
by Alexis Nikole Nelson
Beloved social media sensation Black Forager's long-awaited guide to foraging, sometimes even in your own backyard, and vegan cooking. Your next favorite ingredient might be hiding in plain sight in your own backyard. Alexis Nikole Nelson, best known to millions of fans as Black Forager, invites you on an adventure to discover the abundance around you. Alexis captivates people with her joyful enthusiasm and deep knowledge of foraging and inspires them to explore the bounty of their own backyards, parks, and trails, and now she does the same in her eagerly awaited first book. Part foraging guide, part plant-based cookbook, Happy Snacking, Don't Die shows you how to turn common plants, flowers, and fungi into yummy, vegan meals during each season--no wilderness survival skills required. In spring, you'll learn to pickle Magnolia flowers and turn Japanese Knotweed into a refreshing granita. Summer is for frying up Milkweed Buds, making Juneberry Hand Pies, and crafting Rosewater Baklava. When fall arrives, you'll be making savory mushroom dishes (a.k.a. chicken of the woods) like Maitake steak and bacon. And in winter, cozy up with Pine Shortbread Cookies and Oyster Mushroom Chowdah. With helpful plant identification photos throughout, this book is an essential resource packed with practical tips on ethical foraging and crucial safety information (so you don't die) for people across the northern hemisphere. With her signature humor and infectious spirit, Alexis proves that foraging isn't just for survivalists--it's for anyone who wants to connect with nature and add exciting new flavors to their table.
|
|
|
|
Rock*: A Mainstream Alternative History of Alternative Mainstream Music
by Chuck Klosterman
Kaleidoscopic culture critic Chuck Klosterman rewrites the history of reality in an ingenious (Kirkus Reviews) work of speculative nonfiction based on a question that has never been considered or (in all likelihood) even asked: What if The Beatles had only developed a cult following while the Velvet Underground emerged as the most popular band in the world? This twisted, ironic tribute will delight, surprise, and provoke rock fans. (Publishers Weekly starred review) The Velvet Underground & Nico was released in the spring of 1967. For decades, the cliche has been that it initially only sold 10,000 copies, though everyone who bought it supposedly started a band. It is the definition of a record whose influence outstrips its mass popularity. But what if the opposite had transpired? What if instead of selling 10,000 copies, it had sold...10 million copies? What if it had sold 100 million copies? What would have happened if the Velvet Underground had inexplicably become the biggest group in the history of popular music, and everything about the rest of the 20th century was merely a footnote to that phenomenon? Whatever answer you imagine is an infinitesimal splinter, at least when compared to Rock*. Chuck Klosterman has generated a fictitious universe where almost everything is different, except for the songs. The songs remain the same--the difference is how they are heard and what they now mean. Lou Reed is a messiah, reversing the monoculture and dictating the outcome of presidential elections. The Beatles disappear, though they never break up. The Rolling Stones collapse while Led Zeppelin goes bankrupt. Punk rock fills stadiums, undermined only by insouciant radicals like Boston and Van Halen. Disco is destroyed. Hip-hop becomes country. The 1980s are defined by disposable pop icons (like G.G. Allin) and Christian revivalists (like Madonna). Lenny Kravitz lets love rule, Oasis collides with a wonderwall, and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 are somehow blamed on the Strokes. Presented like The Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll if written by Philip K. Dick, Jorge Luis Borges, and Patrick Bateman, Rock* intermixes satiric contrarianism and Spinal Tap-ish absurdity with darker theories about what makes art popular, how success delineates perception, and the inescapable consensus of subjective history. It is not, nor does it claim to be, the greatest book ever written about rock and roll. But it's probably the last one that ever needs to be written.
|
|
|
|
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister by Charles SpencerIn September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before a watching world and shared his grief at losing his beloved sister, Diana. Now, nearly thirty years later, he tells the astonishing story of his life with Diana and the tragic week of her death. In childhood, Charles and Diana, the youngest Spencers, were inseparable - secretly calling one another Duch and Carlos. As each other's closest confidantes, they roamed the family estate, endured extremely challenging boarding schools, survived terrifying nannies, and helped each other through the agony of their parents' divorce. Yet everything changed when Diana married the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, and overnight became a global icon. Charles saw his older sister serve the world's marginalized and relish being mother to her treasured sons. But, pursued by a barbaric press as her royal marriage crumbled, she was left desperately alone. Charles always tried to be there for Diana - until that black night in August, 1997. In Swan Song, Charles Spencer provides the most intimate, loving, and honest portrait yet of his sister.
|
|
|
|
Confronting America: What Has to Change
by Bill O'Reilly
What has to change in America--and why.The new book in the #1 bestselling series. America remains the world's greatest land of opportunity, but too many Americans have lost sight of the values that made it work. Patriotism and civic responsibility have weakened. Families and schools too often fail to teach discipline, character, and personal responsibility. Hard work and self-reliance are losing ground to entitlement and dependency. Drugs, destructive popular culture, and social media are doing real damage. In Confronting America, Bill O'Reilly argues that the answer is not nostalgia or another government program. It is a return to informed citizenship, strong families, honest education, meaningful work, generosity, self-respect, and a willingness to put country and community ahead of self. His central challenge is straightforward: Americans need to wise up. How do we do that? Education: Our system--once the envy of the world--now ranks below many countries. Restore higher standards of performance so that grade, middle, and high schools prepare our young people for work and life...not unemployment or jail. Family: The collapse of stable family structures is disastrous for young people--especially boys, who need fathers to be present in their lives. Let's honor, rather than denigrate, the values that support two parent households. Drugs: For misguided reasons, we've legalized and enabled drug use through so-called harm reduction--with predictable results. The law must help--and require--drug addicts to get clean and be productive members of society. Work: It used to be normal and expected that people would work for a living. Now, not so much. We need to revive the importance of labor, of all kinds, at all levels, and honor the skills of all who show up and do their jobs. Religion: America is becoming increasingly godless, and the decline of spirituality has weakened shared concepts of right and wrong. Americans don't have to join the God Squad, but religion can reinforce social order--and everyone should respect the law and practice decent behavior. Ultimately, Confronting America is both a warning and a challenge: America will improve when Americans do.
|
|
|
|
End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World
by Naomi Klein
A scathing investigation into the apocalyptic thinking of the Christian nationalists, tech-bro reactionaries, and populist survivalists who increasingly define the contemporary right--and a recipe for how to fight them. As the planet burns and shared reality melts, a new iteration of the far right is on the march. How can we understand this dangerous new development, and what resources can we draw on to resist it? In their scathing assessment of the contemporary scene, the celebrated activists and authors Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor explore how the religious fundamentalists, Silicon Valley technologists, and ethno-nationalists who make up this apocalyptic alliance share more than one might think: they are united in their belief that some kind of cleansing cataclysm is coming, whether through the manifestation of messianic prophecy, the rampages of a resource- and job-consuming artificial intelligence, or the purported existential threat of immigration and cultural replacement. Rather than avoiding this conflagration, they welcome it, convinced they will be among the saved on the other side. End Times Fascism is the ideology of the actors who strive to make the world unlivable and then seek to protect themselves from the fallout--whether by repairing to luxurious private islands, rocketing off to Mars, or bunkering the nation to keep their enemies at bay. The new survivalists have accumulated power, but they are far from impregnable. As Klein and Taylor show via original reporting and analysis, their many internal conflicts and contradictions and their nihilistic inability to envision a shared future, even for their ostensible allies, leave them vulnerable to a new kind of pro-life politics--rooted in reverence for our shared existence and regard for the earth we inhabit and must protect.
|
|
|
|
Lost and Found: A Compassionate Guide to Homeownership
by Mercury Stardust
The trans handy ma'am is back ... and this time she's buying a house and taking her loyal audience along on the journey Buying your first home can be an intimidating process filled with questions and uncertainties--how do you know you're working with a trustworthy lender? What are closing costs and how much should you budget for them? Can you actually afford to fix a fixer-upper? In this successor to the #1 New York Times bestseller Safe and Sound, Mercury Stardust demystifies the path to homeownership and sets you up for homeowning success. Learn about the ups and downs of the house hunting process--from putting in an offer to going through inspections and closing--and then join Mercury as she tackles her first year with a fixer-upper that needs to be renovated and updated. With DIY projects and guides for renovating and maintaining every part of your new house, as well as with tips for weather-proofing and maintaining outdoor spaces like a deck or garden, Lost and Found will empower you to create your dream home. Mercury reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly, including all the emotional highs and lows when things break, emergencies arise, and the unexpected inevitably happens.
|
|
|
|
Never Say Die: A Memoir by Ke Huy QuanKe Huy Quan's Hollywood adventure began when he was twelve years old, a mere five years after his family escaped Communist Northern Vietnam and settled down to a relatively peaceful life in L.A.'s Chinatown. After attending an open call audition on a whim, he was unexpectedly swept up in the wild world of filmmaking: learning to swim from Harrison Ford on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, receiving trucks full of toys from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for his birthday, meeting Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, and making lifelong friends on the set of The Goonies. A star of two of the most beloved movies of the '80s, there appeared to be no limit to Ke's rise. But just a few years later, the roles had dried up and it seemed like Hollywood no longer had a place for him. He eventually left acting to work odd jobs behind the scenes for directors like Wong Kar Wai. His confidence was badly shaken, but his love of performing never abated. It wasn't until decades later, when he was 49 years old, that he stepped back in front of the camera to star in a strange little indie film called Everything Everywhere All at Once, which surprised everyone with its incredible box-office and awards season success. To call Ke's Oscar-winning performance a triumphant return would be an understatement. In this moving, inspirational memoir, Ke paints a vivid self-portrait, telling both heart-wrenching and funny stories of his early rise, slow fall from the spotlight, the resilience that kept him going through his darkest times, and his eventual resurrection on one of the biggest stages in Hollywood. Never Say Die is the story of Ke's extraordinary life, a love letter to the movies and people that shaped him, and a powerful testament to never giving up on your dreams.
|
|
|
|
The Case for Quitting: The Surprising Benefits of Opting Out by Lindsay CrouseIn a world that prizes persistence, acclaimed journalist Lindsay Crouse offers a radical strategy for getting what we want: Quit. We live in a society that champions perseverance, sweat, and tenacity no matter the cost. But what if our relentlessness results in failure, sunken costs, and poor health, rather than success, happiness, and vitality? An endurance athlete and 15-year veteran of the New York Times, Crouse explores stories from across our lives--work, relationships, and broader goals--to argue that when perseverance turns against us, quitting isn't just a way out. Often, it's the first step to something better. A pivot. A break. A chance to go further--or be free. She delves into the science of perseverance versus walking away from aspects of our lives, and relays a diverse blend of compelling personal stories, historical examples, and psychological insights--from the origins of the self-help genre to Bear Bryant's hell camp to the Finnish concept of sisu, resilience--to answer such questions as: When is it time to let go of unproductive efforts? How does quitting make new opportunities? When are relationships growing and when are they just a dangerous rut? For anyone at a crossroads in their personal or professional lives, The Case for Quitting is a groundbreaking guide that ruptures our core beliefs. Career seekers, athletes, entrepreneurs, and anyone exploring new opportunities or feeling stuck in unproductive routines will appreciate its insights on the courage and strategy involved in quitting.
|
|
|
|
The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men by Jon RonsonFrom the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and So You've Been Publicly Shamed comes a darkly comic trip to the furthest reaches of the masculinity crisis His only child is lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night, sending Jon Ronson on an extraordinary adventure into a dark world of unmoored men desperately searching for purpose and control--whatever the cost. With zero warning, the crisis of masculinity and its bizarre, wrecking-ball manifestations had crashed into Jon's life. As his investigation deepens, urgent questions come to light: What exactly is Princessing? Why did a lawn care influencer dress as a baby in front of billions of online viewers? How did a paid-up member of the Skeptic Society derail his life in the name of a warped vision of chivalry? And, more pressingly, why are two recently released murderers on their way to pay Jon a visit? In our rapidly changing society, many men have become detached from reality; some are behaving like separatists, while others have fallen deep down ideological rabbit holes. Is this a complete fracturing of society, a new era of disinhibition where anything goes? Drawing on his trademark brand of humor, psychological insight, and unrivaled prescience, The Castle marks Jon Ronson's long-awaited return to the written page in his darkest and most insightful book yet--one where he throws open the doors to the Castle and reveals a new lost generation of men.
|
|
|
|
How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time by Sarah LongwellThe playbook for consigning MAGA-style politics to the ash heap of history (where it belongs). Featuring a foreword by Jonathan V. Last. After Donald Trump won the 2024 election, Sarah Longwell did what she's done nearly every week for the past eight years: She sat down with voters. She conducted hundreds of focus groups, listening to thousands of ordinary Americans--Republicans, Democrats, and the politically homeless--with the goal of understanding politics through the eyes of the people who will decide our country's future. American voters, and what they want for their country, are at the heart of How to Eat an Elephant. Longwell, the founder of The Bulwark and one of the sharpest political communicators of her generation, lays out the playbook for building a coalition big enough, bold enough, and tough enough to defeat authoritarian populism for good. Not with a single election. Not by doing another poll or debating the benefits of being more progressive or more moderate, but by building something new: A modern pro-democracy movement that can create its own communications infrastructure--just like the right has done for decades--achieve narrative dominance, elevate more compelling leaders, and talk to voters like adults. Drawing on her own unlikely political journey from a lesbian Republican operative to the vanguard of the anti-MAGA movement, Longwell delivers a book that is equal parts war manual and pep talk--with her personal and professional story woven throughout. With her trademark bluntness and humor, she explains exactly how we got here and, more importantly, what we must build next--all while directly quoting the most important but overlooked people in the country: the voters themselves. She answers the question: How do you eat an elephant? One voter at a time.
|
|
|
|
Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft: A Memoir on Writing by Harlan CobenWith 100 million books in print world-wide and over twenty blockbuster television and film adaptations of his work, Harlan Coben has much to teach us about the creative process. Part deeply personal memoir, part masterclass in storytelling, Plot Twist is a refreshingly honest look at the life of a writer whose stories have thrilled us for decades. Plumbing memories from his suburban childhood and his early years trying to break into publishing, Coben tells his own story for the first time, revealing the real-world inspirations for some of his most beloved characters as well as the innovative plots that drive his propulsive novels. Filled with useful tips and techniques on the creative process, Coben does away with the traditional categories of writing--characters, plot, setting, etc--and looks at the process holistically. Plot Twist is a masterclass on the act of being a writer, and everything that comes with it: the self-doubt, the hubris, the contradictions, the passion and dedication. At the end of the day, his calculus is a simple one: If it helps me produce pages, good. If it doesn't, bad. This book will help every aspiring writer produce pages. Honest, funny, insightful, and at times deeply moving, this is both a captivating memoir and an essential guide for anyone looking to master the art of storytelling from one of our most beloved authors.
|
|
|
|
You Are the Parent: Move from Overparenting to Balanced Parenting and Become the Leader Your Child Needs by Siggie CohenDo you feel like you're stuck in a power struggle with your little one and he might be winning? If so, you're not alone. Modern parenting has become a quagmire of good intentions gone wrong--too many of us are over-accommodating, over-explaining, over-negotiating, over-emphasizing, and over-fixing. This trend of over-parenting is leaving our children without strong coping skills and trapping us in never-ending tug-of-wars for control. It's time for a more balanced approach. It's time for parents to trust themselves again. Bringing decades of experience in early childhood education and developmental psychology--with millions of social media fans who swear by her advice--Dr. Siggie Cohen is here to cut through the noise and reassure you that parenting doesn't have to be this hard or this complicated. You can become the calm, confident leader your family needs, while still parenting with empathy and prioritizing essential connection. Dr. Siggie's Emotional/Behavioral Proficiency (EBP) method offers a simple, yet groundbreaking framework to understand the root cause of your child's behavior, so you can effectively manage common challenges while raising a more resilient and confident kid. Through relatable, real-life examples and actionable strategies, you will learn to see past the problem behaviors to the unmet needs beneath.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|