Current Affairs
AGE OF AMBITION: CHASING FORTUNE TRUTH
$16.00
Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction finalist
Winner of the 2014 National Book Award in nonfiction
An Economist Best Book of 2014
Winner of the bronze medal for the Council on Foreign Relations' 2015 Arthur Ross Book Award
A vibrant, colorful, and revelatory inner history of China during a moment of profound transformation
From abroad, we often see China as a caricature: a nation of pragmatic plutocrats and ruthlessly dedicated students destined to rule the global economy-or an addled Goliath, riddled with corruption and on the edge of stagnation. What we don't see is how both powerful and ordinary people are remaking their lives as their country dramatically changes.
As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party's struggle to retain control. He asks probing questions: Why does a government with more success lifting people from poverty than any civilization in history choose to put strict restraints on freedom of expression? Why do millions of young Chinese professionals-fluent in English and devoted to Western pop culture-consider themselves "angry youth," dedicated to resisting the West's influence? How are Chinese from all strata finding meaning after two decades of the relentless pursuit of wealth?
Writing with great narrative verve and a keen sense of irony, Osnos follows the moving stories of everyday people and reveals life in the new China to be a battleground between aspiration and authoritarianism, in which only one can prevail.
ISBN/SKU:
9780374535278
Publication Date:
2015-05-05
Publisher:
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Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of Bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State
$18.95
To eliminate the scourge of terrorism, we must first know who the enemy actually is, and what his motivations are. In Anatomy of Terror, former FBI special agent and New York Times best-selling author Ali Soufan dissects Osama bin Laden's brand of jihadi terrorism and its major offshoots, revealing how these organizations were formed, how they operate, their strengths, and--crucially--their weaknesses. This riveting account examines the new Islamic radicalism through the stories of its flag-bearers, including a U.S. Air Force colonel who once served Saddam Hussein, a provincial bookworm who declared himself caliph of all Muslims, and bin Laden's own beloved son Hamza, a prime candidate to lead the organization his late father founded.
Anatomy of Terror lays bare the psychology and inner workings of al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and their spawn, and shows how the spread of terror can be stopped.
Winner of the Airey Neave Memorial Book Prize
ISBN/SKU:
9780393355888
Publication Date:
2018-05-08
Publisher:
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Black Flags: The Rise of Isis
$16.00
WINNER OF THE 2016 PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NONFICTION "A Best Book of 2015"--The New York Times, The Washington Post, People Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Kansas City Star, and Kirkus Reviews In a thrilling dramatic narrative, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Joby Warrick traces how the strain of militant Islam behind ISIS first arose in a remote Jordanian prison and spread with the unwitting aid of two American presidents. Drawing on unique high-level access to CIA and Jordanian sources, Warrick weaves gripping, moment-by-moment operational details with the perspectives of diplomats and spies, generals and heads of state, many of whom foresaw a menace worse than al Qaeda and tried desperately to stop it. Black Flags is a brilliant and definitive history that reveals the long arc of today's most dangerous extremist threat.
ISBN/SKU:
9780804168939
Publication Date:
2016-09-06
Publisher:
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Black Presidency
$15.95
A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice
"A brilliant and complicated portrait of a brilliant and complicated president."--Salon
Michael Eric Dyson dives deep into the true meaning of Barack Obama's historic presidency and its effects on the changing landscape of race and blackness in America. How has race shaped Obama's identity, career, and presidency? What can we learn from his major race speeches about his approach to racial conflict and the black criticism it provokes?
Dyson was granted an exclusive interview with the president for this book, and Obama's own voice shines through. Along with interviews with Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and others, this intimate access provides a unique depth to this engrossing analysis of the nation's first black president, and how race shapes and will shape our understanding of his achievements and failures alike.
"Readers will recognize Dyson's practiced flair for language and metaphor as he makes an important and layered argument about American political culture and the narrowness of presidential speech. . . [The Black Presidency] might well be considered an interpretive miracle."--New York Times Book Review
"Immensely engaging, unflinchingly honest, and appropriately provocative, Michael Eric Dyson proves, once again, that he is without peer when it comes to contextualizing race in twenty-first-century America. . . a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand America's racial past, present, and future."--Gilbert King, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Devil in the Grove
"A brilliant and complicated portrait of a brilliant and complicated president."--Salon
Michael Eric Dyson dives deep into the true meaning of Barack Obama's historic presidency and its effects on the changing landscape of race and blackness in America. How has race shaped Obama's identity, career, and presidency? What can we learn from his major race speeches about his approach to racial conflict and the black criticism it provokes?
Dyson was granted an exclusive interview with the president for this book, and Obama's own voice shines through. Along with interviews with Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and others, this intimate access provides a unique depth to this engrossing analysis of the nation's first black president, and how race shapes and will shape our understanding of his achievements and failures alike.
"Readers will recognize Dyson's practiced flair for language and metaphor as he makes an important and layered argument about American political culture and the narrowness of presidential speech. . . [The Black Presidency] might well be considered an interpretive miracle."--New York Times Book Review
"Immensely engaging, unflinchingly honest, and appropriately provocative, Michael Eric Dyson proves, once again, that he is without peer when it comes to contextualizing race in twenty-first-century America. . . a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand America's racial past, present, and future."--Gilbert King, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Devil in the Grove
ISBN/SKU:
9780544811805
Publication Date:
2017-01-10
Publisher:
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Case for Trump
$30.00
An instant New York Times bestseller: From an award-winning historian and regular Fox contributor, the true story of how Donald Trump has become one of the most successful presidents in history -- and why America needs him now more than ever
In The Case for Trump, award-winning historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson explains how a celebrity businessman with no political or military experience triumphed over sixteen well-qualified Republican rivals, a Democrat with a quarter-billion-dollar war chest, and a hostile media and Washington establishment to become president of the United States -- and an extremely successful president.
Trump alone saw a political opportunity in defending the working people of America's interior whom the coastal elite of both parties had come to scorn, Hanson argues. And Trump alone had the instincts and energy to pursue this opening to victory, dismantle a corrupt old order, and bring long-overdue policy changes at home and abroad. We could not survive a series of presidencies as volatile as Trump's. But after decades of drift, America needs the outsider Trump to do what normal politicians would not and could not do.
In The Case for Trump, award-winning historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson explains how a celebrity businessman with no political or military experience triumphed over sixteen well-qualified Republican rivals, a Democrat with a quarter-billion-dollar war chest, and a hostile media and Washington establishment to become president of the United States -- and an extremely successful president.
Trump alone saw a political opportunity in defending the working people of America's interior whom the coastal elite of both parties had come to scorn, Hanson argues. And Trump alone had the instincts and energy to pursue this opening to victory, dismantle a corrupt old order, and bring long-overdue policy changes at home and abroad. We could not survive a series of presidencies as volatile as Trump's. But after decades of drift, America needs the outsider Trump to do what normal politicians would not and could not do.
ISBN/SKU:
9781541673540
Publication Date:
2019-03-05
Publisher:
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Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West
$28.00
"Whoever you are, whatever side you're on, if you care about the American west and what's happening to it, read this book."
--Caroline Fraser, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Prairie Fires
An extraordinary inside look at America's militia movement that shows a country at the crossroads of class, culture, and insurrection.
In a remote corner of Oregon, James Pogue found himself at the heart of a rebellion. Granted unmatched access by Ammon Bundy to the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Pogue met ranchers and militiamen ready to die fighting the federal government.
He witnessed the fallout of communities riven by politics and the danger (and allure) of uncompromising religious belief. The occupation ended in the shooting death of one rancher, the imprisonment of dozens more, and a firestorm over the role of government that engulfed national headlines.
In a raw and restless narrative that roams the same wild terrain as his literary forebears Edward Abbey and Hunter S. Thompson, Pogue's Chosen Country examines the underpinnings of this rural uprising and struggles to reconcile diverging ideas of freedom, tracing a cultural fault line that spans the nation.
ISBN/SKU:
9781250169129
Publication Date:
2018-05-22
Publisher:
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Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet
$17.99
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former head of the Sierra Club Carl Pope comes a manifesto on how the benefits of taking action on climate change are concrete, immediate, and immense. They explore climate change solutions that will make the world healthier and more prosperous, aiming to begin a new type of conversation on the issue that will spur bolder action by cities, businesses, and citizens--and even, someday, by Washington.
"Climate of Hope is an inspiring must read." --Former Vice President Al Gore, Chairman of The Climate Reality Project
"Climate change threatens to reshape the future of our world's population centers. Bloomberg and Pope have been leaders on fortifying our cities against this threat, and their book proves that victory is possible--and imperative." --Leonardo DiCaprio
"If Trump is looking for a blueprint, he could not do better than to read a smart new book, Climate of Hope." --Thomas Friedman in The New York Times
The 2016 election left many people who are concerned about the environment fearful that progress on climate change would come screeching to a halt. But not Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope.
Bloomberg, an entrepreneur and former mayor of New York City, and Pope, a lifelong environmental leader, approach climate change from different perspectives, yet they arrive at similar conclusions. Without agreeing on every point, they share a belief that cities, businesses, and citizens can lead--and win--the battle against climate change, no matter which way the political winds in Washington may shift.
In Climate of Hope, Bloomberg and Pope offer an optimistic look at the challenge of climate change, the solutions they believe hold the greatest promise, and the practical steps that are necessary to achieve them. Writing from their own experiences, and sharing their own stories from government, business, and advocacy, Bloomberg and Pope provide a road map for tackling the most complicated challenge the world has ever faced. Along the way, they turn the usual way of thinking about climate change on its head: from top down to bottom up, from partisan to pragmatic, from costs to benefits, from tomorrow to today, and from fear to hope.
ISBN/SKU:
9781250142085
Publication Date:
2018-04-03
Publisher:
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Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?
$28.00
CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES ARE HEADING TOWARD A WAR NEITHER WANTS. The reason is Thucydides's Trap, a deadly pattern of structural stress that results when a rising power challenges a ruling one. This phenomenon is as old as history itself. About the Peloponnesian War that devastated ancient Greece, the historian Thucydides explained: "It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable." Over the past 500 years, these conditions have occurred sixteen times. War broke out in twelve of them. Today, as an unstoppable China approaches an immovable America and both Xi Jinping and Donald Trump promise to make their countries "great again," the seventeenth case looks grim. Unless China is willing to scale back its ambitions or Washington can accept becoming number two in the Pacific, a trade conflict, cyberattack, or accident at sea could soon escalate into all-out war.
In Destined for War, the eminent Harvard scholar Graham Allison explains why Thucydides's Trap is the best lens for understanding U.S.-China relations in the twenty-first century. Through uncanny historical parallels and war scenarios, he shows how close we are to the unthinkable. Yet, stressing that war is not inevitable, Allison also reveals how clashing powers have kept the peace in the past -- and what painful steps the United States and China must take to avoid disaster today.
In Destined for War, the eminent Harvard scholar Graham Allison explains why Thucydides's Trap is the best lens for understanding U.S.-China relations in the twenty-first century. Through uncanny historical parallels and war scenarios, he shows how close we are to the unthinkable. Yet, stressing that war is not inevitable, Allison also reveals how clashing powers have kept the peace in the past -- and what painful steps the United States and China must take to avoid disaster today.
ISBN/SKU:
9780544935273
Publication Date:
2017-05-30
Publisher:
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DIY Resistance
$14.95
DIY Resistance celebrates the power of the people and shows how readers can take inspiration from the actions and words of leaders, activists, and historical heroes; how we can learn to take care of ourselves physically and emotionally in troubled times, and do our part to look after the larger community around us. Our fight is not a new one. It has been going on continuously for thousands of years, as individuals and movements have stood up to despots and demagogues. DIY Resistance recalls the successful actions people's movements use to defeat tyrants: defend free speech, look after your community, fight racism and misogyny, organize, protest, network, publish. The lessons of successful resistance are rich and they are everywhere around us. Take note, find your inspiration and your strength, and join others around you who share your commitment.
ISBN/SKU:
9781609808129
Publication Date:
2018-07-03
Publisher:
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DREAMS AND SHADOWS THE FUTURE OF THE MIDDLE EAST
$17.00
The transformation of the Middle East is an issue that will absorb-and challenge-the world for generations to come; Dreams and Shadows is the book to read to understand the sweeping political and cultural changes that have occurred in recent decades. Drawing on thirty-five years of reporting in two dozen countries-through wars, revolutions, and uprisings as well as the birth of new democracy movements and a new generation of activists-award-winning journalist and Middle East expert Robin Wright has created a masterpiece of the reporter's art and a work of profound and enduring insight into one of the most confounding areas of the world.
ISBN/SKU:
9780143114895
Publication Date:
2009-03-01
Publisher:
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