| Beyond Life and Death: The Way of True Freedom by Jet LiBest known for his martial arts films, Jet Li turns inward in this reflective memoir, drawing on Buddhist philosophy and his own life experiences to make sense of both loss and survival, and the search for meaning itself. He explores how confronting impermanence can reshape priorities and open the door to a more centered kind of peace. |
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Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
by David Epstein
We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and prizes freedom above all else. We have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be, and how to spend our time. All that choice is wonderful; it is also overwhelming. The irony is that total freedom can be paralyzing, and unlimited resources don't necessarily lead to the biggest breakthroughs. In fact, overvaluing complete freedom can be disastrous for everything from starting a company to harnessing creativity to finding personal satisfaction. David Epstein argues that all of us--individuals, businesses, institutions, even societies--can benefit from narrowing our options. He dives into the science and practice of constraints, exploring exactly when and how guardrails can be beneficial, whether we're working with limited resources or using self-imposed boundaries to tap unexpected wells of focus and innovation. Original, galvanizing, and deeply researched, Inside the Box tells absorbing stories of people and organizations that embraced constraints to transform themselves, and the world--as well as a few that struggled from a lack of limits. Epstein reveals how boundaries create breakthroughs, and how setting the right constraints can help you become the most creative, productive, and satisfied version of yourself.
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On Witness and Respair: Essays
by Jesmyn Ward
Respair (noun, obsolete), fresh hope after despair. From the two-time National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author Jesmyn Ward, this collection of essays documents more than a decade of work in the life of a singular writer often lauded as the heir apparent to Toni Morrison (LitHub). Beginning with her upbringing in a multi-generational household in rural Mississippi, the cradle of both her youth and her gift for storytelling, Ward brings her keen wisdom and hauntingly lyrical prose to a range of topics, following in her grandmother Dorothy's footsteps when she promises always to Tell it straight. Tell it all. True to her word, in these pages Ward contemplates the writers and novels of her youth and adulthood--the transformative power of discovering Octavia Butler as a twenty-something, the mirror that Richard Wright's novels held up to her own childhood, and of course, her lifelong love for Toni Morrison. Ward ruminates on her approach to both fiction and life, reflecting on the power of the novel, how to raise a Black son in an era of rising divisiveness and cruelty, as well as her own personal tragedies--including the titular essay of the collection, which tells the story of her partner's sudden death on the eve of the COVID-19 epidemic. Every bit as piercing and moving as her fiction, On Witness and Respair is a testament to Ward's powers as one of America's finest living writers (San Francisco Chronicle) and is a monument to hope, beauty, and personal and collective resilience.
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Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children
by Mac Barnett
Make Believe is bestselling children's author Mac Barnett's rallying cry for art and imagination, and a celebration of the power of storytelling in all our lives. It's an incisive, intimate, and timely invitation to approach children's literature not only as an art form worthy of deep study and criticism, but as a portal into the lives of the children. And at a time when we are faced with a national literacy crisis, he champions the profound joys of literature and the importance of reading for pleasure. What if children are a great audience for art? What if they are in fact better equipped to engage deeply with stories than adults? What if humans' ability to appreciate art is, if not innate, awakened early in childhood? Well, then we'd better do our best to make some good kids' books. Written with humor and academic rigor, Make Believe reads like a letter from your smartest and funniest friend. Includes spreads from Goodnight Moon and Busy, Busy Town, illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen, and cover art by celebrated illustrator Carson Ellis.
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What's Going Right: A Powerful New Method for Optimizing Your Mental Health
by Paul Conti
A peerless mental health guide that belongs in every home. Andrew D. Huberman, PhD, professor of neurobiology, Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab Podcast. This affirming book from world-renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Conti, offers a paradigm-shifting approach to optimizing mental health, offering readers a proven way towards a joyful life--based on the popular series on Andrew Huberman's podcast.
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Philosophy a Complete Course: Master the Essentials in Simple Steps
by DK
Perfect for complete beginners and anyone seeking a comprehensive overview of the subject, Philosophy: A Complete Course untangles complex theories using clear, jargon-free explanations paired with bold infographics, biographies of influential philosophers, and concept maps that visualize relationships between ideas. The book's innovative, graphic approach simplifies even the most challenging ideas - from metaphysics and ethics to existentialism and machine intelligence - making them easier than ever to understand. In this essential guide to philosophy, you will find: Clear and simple explanations of the key ideas across the most important fields of philosophical study, with bold, graphic-led explanations and summaries of each one.
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