Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic for Dummies
by
Learn to make your digital photos *pop* with easy-to-follow help using AI-powered software from Adobe With no prior photography or editing experience necessary, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic For Dummies delivers a must-have walkthrough for taking your photos to the next level using Adobe's powerful consumer software. You'll learn the fundamentals of opening your pictures, managing your photo library, and fixing common problems--like redeye and poor lighting--before jumping into more advanced topics, like creating slideshows and troubleshooting problems. The perfect place to begin learning how to improve your family photos, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic For Dummies also helps you discover: How to take control of and organize your photo library How to apply common artificial intelligence-powered photo enhancements with the click of a mouse Ways to share your photos with the world, both digitally and on paper The premier jumping-off point for aspiring photo editors everywhere, this book is a can't-miss resource for anyone who wants to make the most of their digital photo collection and for professionals who want to expand their design skillset by learning Adobe Lightroom Classic.
AI Engineering
by
Recent breakthroughs in AI have not only increased demand for AI products, they've also lowered the barriers to entry for those who want to build AI products. The model-as-a-service approach has transformed AI from an esoteric discipline into a powerful development tool that anyone can use. Everyone, including those with minimal or no prior AI experience, can now leverage AI models to build applications. In this book, author Chip Huyen discusses AI engineering: the process of building applications with readily available foundation models. The book starts with an overview of AI engineering, explaining how it differs from traditional ML engineering and discussing the new AI stack. The more AI is used, the more opportunities there are for catastrophic failures, and therefore, the more important evaluation becomes. This book discusses different approaches to evaluating open-ended models, including the rapidly growing AI-as-a-judge approach. AI application developers will discover how to navigate the AI landscape, including models, datasets, evaluation benchmarks, and the seemingly infinite number of use cases and application patterns. You'll learn a framework for developing an AI application, starting with simple techniques and progressing toward more sophisticated methods, and discover how to efficiently deploy these applications. Understand what AI engineering is and how it differs from traditional machine learning engineering Learn the process for developing an AI application, the challenges at each step, and approaches to address them Explore various model adaptation techniques, including prompt engineering, RAG, fine-tuning, agents, and dataset engineering, and understand how and why they work Examine the bottlenecks for latency and cost when serving foundation models and learn how to overcome them Choose the right model, dataset, evaluation benchmarks, and metrics for your needs Chip Huyen works to accelerate data analytics on GPUs at Voltron Data. Previously, she was with Snorkel AI and NVIDIA, founded an AI infrastructure startup, and taught Machine Learning Systems Design at Stanford. She's the author of the book Designing Machine Learning Systems, an Amazon bestseller in AI. AI Engineering builds upon and is complementary to Designing Machine Learning Systems (O'Reilly).
Algorithms of Armageddon
by
It is unclear if U.S. policy makers and military leaders fully realize that we have already been thrust into an artificial intelligence (AI) race with authoritarian powers. Today, the United States' peer adversaries--China and Russia--have made clear their intentions to make major investments in AI and insert this technology into their military systems, sensors and weapons. Their goal is to gain an asymmetric advantage over the U.S. military. The implications for our national security are many and complex. Algorithms of Armageddon examines this most pressing security issue in a clear, insightful delivery by two experts. Authors George Galdorisi and Sam J. Tangredi are national security professionals who deal with AI on a day-to-day basis in their work in both the technical and policy arenas. Opening chapters explain the fundamentals of what constitutes big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. They investigate the convergence of AI with other technologies and how these systems will interact with humans. Critical to the issue is the manner by which AI is being developed and utilized by Russia and China. The central chapters of the work address the weaponizing of AI through interaction with other technologies, man-machine teaming, and autonomous weapons systems. The authors cover in depth debates surrounding the AI "genie out of the bottle" controversy, AI arms races, and the resulting impact on policy and the laws of war. Given that global powers are leading large-scale development of AI, it is likely that use of this technology will be global in extent. Will AI-enabled military weapons systems lead to full-scale global war? Can such a conflict be avoided? The later chapters of the work explore these questions, point to the possibility of humans failing to control military AI applications, and conclude that the dangers for the United States are real. Neither a protest against AI, nor a speculative work on how AI could replace humans, Algorithms of Armageddon provides a time-critical understanding of why AI is being implemented through state weaponization, the realities for the global power balance, and more importantly, U.S. national security. Galdorisi and Tangredi propose a national dialogue that focuses on the need for U.S. military to have access to the latest AI-enabled technology in order to provide security and prosperity to the American people.
Almost Nothing
by
The iconic Edith Farnsworth House is a singular glass home designed by Mies van der Rohe. But the oft-told history of the house overwrites Farnsworth's role as Mies's collaborator and antagonist while falsely portraying her as the architect's angry ex-lover. Nora Wendl's audacious work of creative nonfiction explodes the sex-and-real-estate myth surrounding the Edith Farnsworth House and its two central figures. An eminent physician and woman of letters, Farnsworth left a rich trove of correspondence, memoirs, and photographs that Wendl uses to reconstruct her voice. Farnsworth's memories and experiences alternate with Wendl's thoughts on topics like misogyny and professional ambition to fashion a lyrical examination of love, loneliness, beauty, and the search for the divine. Eloquent and confessional, Almost Nothing restores Edith Farnsworth to her place in architectural history and the masterpiece that bears her name.
American Patriots
by
A concise history that proves that dissent is patriotic The history of America is a history of dissent. Protests against the British Parliament's taxation policies led to the American Revolution and the creation of the United States. At the Constitutional Convention the founders put the right to protest in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. In the nineteenth century, dissenters protested against the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, they demanded the abolition of slavery, suffrage for women, and fair treatment for workers. In the twentieth century, millions of Americans participated in the Civil Rights Movement, the antiwar movement, and second-wave feminism. In the twenty-first century, hundreds of thousands protested the war in Iraq, joined the 2011 Occupy movement, the 2017 Women's March, and the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprisings. The crowds grew larger than ever, but the sentiments expressed were familiar. There have been dissenting Americans for as long as there has been an America. In American Patriots, historian Ralph Young chronicles the key role dissent has played in shaping the United States. He explains that activists are not protesting against America, but pushing the country to live up to its ideals. As he guides the reader through the history of protest, Young considers how ordinary Americans, from moderates to firebrands, responded to injustice. He highlights the work of organizations like SNCC and ACT UP, and he follows iconic individuals like Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Woody Guthrie, charting the impact of their dissent. Some of these protesters are celebrated heroes of American history, while others are ordinary people, frequently overlooked, whose stories show that change is often accomplished through grassroots activism. Yet not all dissent is equal. In 2021, thousands of rioters stormed the US Capitol, and Americans on both sides of the aisle watched the destruction with horror. American Patriots contrasts this attack with the long history of American protest, and challenges us to explore our definition of dissent. Does it express a legitimate grievance or a smokescreen for undermining democracy? What are the limits of dissent? Where does dissent end and sedition begin? In a time when legitimate dissent is framed as unpatriotic, Young reminds us of the dissenters who have shaped our country's history. American Patriots is a necessary defense of our right to demand better for ourselves, our communities, and our nation.
Azure Cloud Projects
by
Learn Microsoft Azure from the ground up-master the fundamentals, build simple cloud applications, and gain real-world experience with each project Key Features: - Understand the core concepts of Azure, including its architecture and primary services - Learn to build full-fledged Azure projects-from web apps to containerized solutions - Start with Azure basics and move to advanced topics like DevOps, security, and cost optimization - Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book Description: Want to get hands-on with Azure and boost your cloud solution skills by working on real-world projects? Azure Cloud Projects is your go-to resource. Written by a seasoned Microsoft Cloud Technologies Architect renowned for his expertise in crafting innovative solutions, this hands-on guide will empower you to build real-world applications using Microsoft Azure. Through hands-on projects, you'll explore core cloud concepts and gain the experience needed to confidently launch your cloud career. The chapters help you build a strong foundation in cloud computing and Azure services, including how to set up your Azure account and navigate the portal. You'll learn how to develop increasingly complex solutions as you progress-from configuring networks and deploying web apps to managing databases and containers. Advancing through the chapters, you'll learn how to implement identity and access controls with Entra ID, automate workflows using Azure Functions, build a CI/CD pipeline with Azure DevOps, and optimize cloud costs for scalable growth. By the end of this book, you'll have a solid grasp of Azure's capabilities and a portfolio of practical projects that showcase your job-ready skills and set you up for success in entry-level cloud roles. What You Will Learn: - Set up Azure and explore cloud fundamentals - Implement Entra ID and hybrid identity solutions - Build and secure storage with Azure Blob Storage - Design virtual networks and configure VPN gateways - Deploy your first web app using Azure App Service - Automate workflows with Azure Functions - Create CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps Who this book is for: If you're new to cloud computing and want to build a solid foundation in Microsoft Azure, this book is for you. Ideal for aspiring cloud engineers, junior developers, IT support staff, and tech enthusiasts, it offers simple, step-by-step guidance to help you learn by doing. No prior Azure experience is needed-just a basic understanding of cloud concepts and familiarity with programming. Table of Contents - Introduction to Azure and Cloud Computing - Implementing Entra ID and Hybrid Connectivity - Implementing Azure Storage Solutions - Understanding the Azure Network Topology, Design Principles, and Best Practices - Implementing a Serverless Solution - Principles and Practices of Scalable Data Management - Building a Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery Pipeline - Designing and Building a Containerized Solution on Azure - Enhancing Security and Compliance in an Azure Project - Developing a Cloud Cost Optimization Strategy
Berg
by
Alban Berg (1885-1935), a student of Arnold Schoenberg and one of the most prominent composers of the Second Viennese School, is counted among the pioneers of twelve-tone serialism. His circle included not only the musicians of the Wiener modern but also prominent literary and artistic figures from Vienna's brilliant fin-de-siècle. In his short lifetime he composed two ground-breaking operas, Wozzeck and Lulu, as well as chamber works, songs, and symphonic compositions. His final completed work, the deeply moving and elegiac Violin Concerto, is performed by leading soloists across the world.This new life-and-works study from authors Bryan R. Simms and Charlotte Erwin delivers a fresh perspective formed from comprehensive study of primary sources that reveal the forces that shaped Berg's personality, career, and artistic outlook. One such force was Berg's wife, Helene Nahowski Berg, and the book provides a unique assessment of her role in the composer's life and work, as well as her later quest to shape his artistic legacy in the forty-one years of her widowhood. The authors present insightful analysis of all of Berg's major works, bringing into play Berg's own analyses of the music, many of which have not been considered in existing scholarship. Berg is an accessible and all-encompassing resource for all readers who wish to learn about the life and music of this composer, one of the great figures in modern music.
Bookishness
by
Twenty-first-century culture is obsessed with books. In a time when many voices have joined to predict the death of print, books continue to resurface in new and unexpected ways. From the proliferation of "shelfies" to Jane Austen-themed leggings and from decorative pillows printed with beloved book covers to bookwork sculptures exhibited in prestigious collections, books are everywhere and are not just for reading. Writers have caught up with this trend: many contemporary novels depict books as central characters or fetishize paper and print thematically and formally. In Bookishness, Jessica Pressman examines the new status of the book as object and symbol. She explores the rise of "bookishness" as an identity and an aesthetic strategy that proliferates from store-window décor to experimental writing. Ranging from literature to kitsch objects, stop-motion animation films to book design, Pressman considers the multivalent meanings of books in contemporary culture. Books can represent shelter from--or a weapon against--the dangers of the digital; they can act as memorials and express a sense of loss. Examining the works of writers such as Jonathan Safran Foer, Jennifer Egan, Mark Z. Danielewski, and Leanne Shapton, Pressman illuminates the status of the book as a fetish object and its significance for understanding contemporary fakery. Bringing together media studies, book history, and literary criticism, Bookishness explains how books still give meaning to our lives in a digital age.
Breaking the Engagement
by
An internationally recognized scholar provides a powerful explanation of the Breaking the Engagement: How China Won and Lost America between the United States and China. For over five decades following the 1972 rapprochement between the United States and China, the two countries seemed to be steadily building a sound relationship, even accounting for periodic setbacks like the Tiananmen Square massacre. The last decade, though, has seen a sharp increase in tensions and a complete reorientation of American policies toward China, from "engagement" to "competition." What happened? In Breaking the Engagement: How China Won and Lost America, esteemed scholar David Shambaugh examines the evolution, expansion, and disintegration of the American engagement strategy towards China. Shambaugh attributes the recent sharp deterioration of relations to a combination of China's actions and American expectations. Xi Jinping's increasingly assertive foreign policy and domestic repression has directly challenged American interests. More deeply, he argues that the real underlying cause is America's longstanding paternalistic approach to transform China into a liberal state and society which conforms with the US-led global liberal order. When China has generally evolved in this direction, politically, economically, socially, intellectually, and internationally, it corresponds with American aspirations and the two could cooperate. But when Beijing pushes back against this transformative strategy, which Beijing sees as subversion, Americans become disillusioned and U.S. policymakers see China as a malign regime, which must be countered. By focusing on the role of perceptions and U.S. expectations in fueling the shift towards competition and rivalry in the last decade, Shambaugh provides a unique new perspective on this critical global relationship.
Buddhism
by
One of the world's leading scholars of Buddhism presents the story of its dramatic journey across the globe, from 2,500 years ago to the present day Over the course of twenty-five centuries, Buddhism spread from its place of origin in northern India to become a global tradition of remarkable breadth, depth, and richness. In this ambitious book, Donald S. Lopez Jr. draws on the latest scholarship to construct a detailed and innovative history of Buddhism--not just as a chronology through the centuries or as geographic movement across a map, but as a dense matrix of interconnections. Beginning with the life and teachings of the Buddha, Lopez shows how a set of evolving ideas and practices traveled north and east to China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Tibet, south and southeast to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and finally westward to Europe and the Americas. He provides insights on questions that Buddhism has asked and answered in different times and different places--about apocalypse, art, identity, immortality, law, nation, persecution, philosophy, science, sex, war, and writing. Vast in its erudition and expansive in its vision, this is the most complete single‑volume history of Buddhism in its full historical and geographical range.
Butter
by
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer, and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story There are two things that I simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine. Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation's imagination, but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can't resist writing back. Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a master class in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that Rika might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body. Do she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought? Inspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer--the "Konkatsu Killer"--Asako Yuzuki's Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance, and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.
ChatGPT for Dummies
by
Updated to provide a deeper and closer look at ChatGPT Expanded and extended, this new edition of ChatGPT For Dummies covers the latest tools, models, and options available on the popular generative AI platform. You'll learn best practices for using ChatGPT as a text and media generation tool, research assistant, and content reviewer. If you're new to the world of AI, you'll get all the basic know-how needed to add ChatGPT to your professional toolbox. And if you've been doing the genAI thing for a while already, this book will sharpen your skills as you apply AI to real-world projects in an ethical manner. You'll get insight on the best practice for using ChatGPT to make your life and work easier and how to write prompts that result in high-quality output. Understand what generative AI is and how ChatGPT produces human-like responses Get tips on writing effective prompts and using ChatGPT to generate sound and images Apply ChatGPT to your daily work or personal life Discover the best way to fact-check AI-generated content to avoid errors and hallucinations Anyone using ChatGPT to enhance their work--whether for professional or personal use--will get better results with ChatGPT For Dummies.
China in Seven Banquets
by
A captivating journey spanning five thousand years of Chinese culinary heritage, exploring the essence of each era through seven extraordinary meals. China in Seven Banquets takes readers on a gastronomic adventure into the history of China's constantly evolving and astonishingly diverse cuisine. From the opulent Eight Treasures feast of ancient times to the Tang dynasty's legendary "Tail-Burning" banquet, and the extravagant "complete Manchu-Han feast" of the Qing court, these iconic repasts offer glimpses into China's rich food history. Delving further, the book invites us to partake of lavish banquets immortalized in literature and film, a New Year's buffet from 1920s Shanghai, a modern delivery menu reflecting the hyperglobal present, and it even offers a peek at the tables of the not-so-distant future. Drawing upon his extensive gastronomic adventures across China, acclaimed historian Thomas David DuBois unravels its ever-changing landscape of culinary trends, revealing why flavors and customs evolved over time. DuBois also recreates dozens of traditional recipes using modern kitchen techniques. Whether indulging in fermented elk or savoring absinthe cocktails, readers embark on an unparalleled odyssey that redefines their perception of Chinese cuisine.
Compton in My Soul
by
Lessons and inspiration from a lifetime of teaching about race and ethnic relations When Al Camarillo grew up in Compton, California, racial segregation was the rule. His relatives were among the first Mexican immigrants to settle there--in the only neighborhood where Mexicans were allowed to live. The city's majority was then White, and Compton would shift to a predominantly Black community over Al's youth. Compton in My Soul weaves Al's personal story with histories of this now-infamous place, and illuminates a changing US society--the progress and backslides over half a century for racial equality and educational opportunity. Entering UCLA in the mid 1960s, Camarillo was among the first students of color, one of only forty-four Mexican Americans on a campus of thousands. He became the first Mexican American in the country to earn a PhD in Chicano/Mexican American history, and established himself as a preeminent US historian with a prestigious appointment at Stanford University. In this candid and warm-hearted memoir, Camarillo offers his career as a vehicle for tracing the evolution of ethnic studies, reflecting on intergenerational struggles to achieve racial equality from the perspective at once of a participant and an historian. Camarillo's story is a quintessential American chronicle and speaks to the best and worst of who we are as a people and as a nation. He unmasks fundamental contradictions in American life--racial injustice and interracial cooperation, inequality and equal opportunity, racial strife and racial harmony. Even as legacies of inequality still haunt American society, Camarillo writes with a message of hope for a better, more inclusive America--and the aspiration that his life's journey can inspire others as they start down their own path.
Derivative Media
by
A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Sequels, reboots, franchises, and songs that remake old songs--does it feel like everything new in popular culture is just derivative of something old? Contrary to popular belief, the reason is not audiences or marketing, but Wall Street. In this book, Andrew deWaard shows how the financial sector is dismantling the creative capacity of cultural industries by upwardly redistributing wealth, consolidating corporate media, harming creative labor, and restricting our collective media culture. Moreover, financialization is transforming the very character of our mediascapes for branded transactions. Our media are increasingly shaped by the profit-extraction techniques of hedge funds, asset managers, venture capitalists, private equity firms, and derivatives traders. Illustrated with examples drawn from popular culture, Derivative Media offers readers the critical financial literacy necessary to understand the destructive financialization of film, television, and popular music--and provides a plan to reverse this dire threat to culture.
Embers of the Hands
by
A New York Times Editors' Choice A "brilliantly written, brilliantly conceived" (Tom Holland) history of the Viking Age, from mighty leaders to rebellious teenagers, told through their runes and ruins, games and combs, trash and treasure. In imagining a Viking, a certain image springs to mind: a barbaric warrior, leaping ashore from a longboat, and ready to terrorize the hapless local population of a northern European town. Yet while such characters define our imagination of the Viking Age today, they were in the minority. Instead, in the time-stopping soils, water, and ice of the North, Eleanor Barraclough excavates a preserved lost world, one that reimagines a misunderstood society. By examining artifacts of the past--remnants of wooden gaming boards, elegant antler combs, doodles by imaginative children and bored teenagers, and runes that reveal hidden loves, furious curses, and drunken spouses summoned home from the pub--Barraclough illuminates life in the medieval Nordic world as not just a world of rampaging warriors, but as full of globally networked people with recognizable concerns. This is the history of all the people--children, enslaved people, seers, artisans, travelers, writers--who inhabited the medieval Nordic world. Encompassing not just Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, but also Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, Continental Europe, and Russia, this is a history of a Viking Age filled with real people of different ages, genders, and ethnicities, as told through the traces that they left behind. "Embers of the hands" is a poetic kenning from the Viking Age that referred to gold. But no less precious are the embers that Barraclough blows back to life in this book--those of ordinary lives long past.
Eugene Nadelman
by
"Move over, Onegin--we've a new Eugene for the ages. In Michael Weingrad's wildly charming and profound telling, young Eugene Nadelman's adolescence in 1980s Philadelphia unfolds in iambic tetrameter, with each crush and clash and heartache feeling as epic as they do for the young and the hopeful. If you've ever spun the bottle or leered furtively at someone across the dancefloor, you'll find yourself transformed by Weingrad's wit, wonder, and heart, and, like young Eugene himself, grow wiser." --Liel Leibovitz, editor at large, Tablet Magazine "[A] wistful and emotionally resonant novel that finds true poetry in teenage life." --Foreword Reviews "Weingrad is a true talent, and this book is a joy." --Jewish Journal Full of humor, pathos, and pop cultural references, Eugene Nadelman is a tale of young love and American manners in the era of Ronald Reagan and MTV--written in the witty sonnet form of Alexander Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. It's 1982, and teenaged Eugene attends his cousin's bar mitzvah in suburban Philadelphia. There he meets a kindred spirit in the savvy, sensitive Abigail. But when Eugene's best friend also becomes smitten with Abby, a tragic rivalry ensues and, just as in the Pushkin poem, one character kills another in a duel. (Well, in a Dungeons & Dragons game, in this case.) Eugene and Abby's romance deepens against a backdrop of '80s music, fashion, and VHS rentals--with serious world events like AIDS and the Cold War hovering overhead. But when Eugene leaves for sleepaway camp and Abby for Europe, temptations abound, and one question becomes paramount: can their love survive a summer separation?
Faith
by
Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringWhat is faith? It usually means religious belief, and sometimes diverse religions are grouped together as 'faiths', with reference to 'faith leaders' or 'faith schools'. What we have faith in matters, and that involves our reason, involving claims to truths that affect everyone. Faith is not just a personal attribute, like tastes, but should be open to public examination and debate. In this Very Short Introduction, Roger Trigg argues that all faith needs reason. He puts contemporary discussions into historical perspective, particularly in the context of Christianity. The author argues that faith also involves a commitment to action and that matters for all social life. Because religion is typically directed at what is seen as of crucial importance for human life, faith should not be marginalized or privatized. It will permeate every idea of how people should behave, and has a role in the public square, however respectful it should be to competing views within a democracy. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
A Fractured Liberation
by
Shortlist, Cundill History Prize A poignant return to Korea's forgotten "Asian Spring"--a moment ripe with possibility denied by the postwar US military occupation. When Japanese imperial rule ended in August 1945, the Korean peninsula erupted with hopes that had been bottled up for forty years. New mother Chŏn Sukhŭi marveled at the news, envisioning her son growing up free in an independent Korea. Yi Ilchae, who only days before had been drafted into the Japanese army, threw himself into union activism. An electrifying excitement jolted Koreans into action everywhere. Peasants occupied Japanese-owned farmlands, workers seized control of factories, and women demanded political and economic equality. A Fractured Liberation brings to vivid life the brief but intense moment in postwar Korea when anything seemed possible, but nothing was guaranteed. The country had been abruptly split into US and Soviet military occupation zones, but, as Kornel Chang shows, ordinary people threw themselves into achieving self-governance throughout a unified Korea. The mostly left-leaning efforts were bolstered by an eclectic group of American supporters, including New Deal liberals, Christian socialists, and trade unionists. The Koreans' greatest obstacle, however, proved to be the US military government in the south and its rigidly anti-communist leadership. Despite promising liberation from the hated Japanese-imposed institutions, the US occupation government under General John R. Hodge hired back Koreans who had worked for the Japanese to do the dirty work of curbing protests and muzzling reformers. As concern over the budding superpower rivalry with the Soviet Union overshadowed the Koreans' democratic aspirations, the United States increasingly narrowed the possibilities for Korean independence, helping to cement the North-South divide and ensure decades of authoritarian rule on both sides.
Fundamentals of Character Design
by
What is it about the characters we see in our favorite books, animated films, and games that make us laugh, cry, and respond to them? How do character designers develop ideas that are unique, memorable, and captivate us as an audience? This book answers these questions and more, taking a comprehensive, visual, and analytical approach to discover just what it is that makes a character appealing. Understand key principles like shape language, proportion, and exaggeration, and learn from talented professionals who share industry secrets for getting the most out of anatomy, gesture, expression, and costume. Uncover ways to convey relationships and interaction between multiple characters, and how narrative fuels authentic and engaging characterization. With hundreds of lively illustrations to inspire and study, and tricks of the trade from celebrated artists, this thorough and insightful volume is an essential library addition for anyone interested in character design.
God and Sex
by
From the award-winning author of Denial comes a novel about a New Age writer whose life is irrevocably changed when a devastating climate disaster forces him to confront his belief in the existence of God. What if God spoke to you? Would you hear Him? Would you obey His command? Arthur Zinn, an author of high-end spiritual texts, has fallen in love with a librarian married to a newfound close friend. When an environmental disaster threatens her life, Arthur's frantic prayers lead to a mystifying event that challenges his assumptions about the nature of the universe and the divine. In God and Sex, Oregon Book Award winner and acclaimed screenwriter Jon Raymond masterfully entwines themes of ecology, mortality, art, faith, and the tangled complexities of carnal love.
Graphic Refuge
by
Graphic Refuge is the first in-depth study of comics about refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and detainees by artists from the Global North and South. Co-written by two leading scholars of nonfiction comics, the book explores graphic narratives about a range of refugee experiences, from war, displacement, and perilous sea crossings to detention camps, resettlement schemes, and second-generation diasporas. Through close readings of work by diverse artists including Joe Sacco, Sarah Glidden, Don Brown, Olivier Kugler, Jasper Rietman, Hamid Sulaiman, Leila Abdelrazzaq, Thi Bui, and Matt Huynh, Graphic Refuge shows how comics challenge dominant representations of the displaced to bring a radical politics of refugee agency and refusal into view. Beyond simply affirming the "humanity" of the refugee, these comics demand that we apprehend the historical construction of categories such as "citizen" and "refugee" through systems of empire, settler colonialism, and racial capitalism. The comics medium allows readers not only to visualize the lives of refugees but also refocuses the lens on citizen non-refugees--"we who can sleep under warm cover at night", as Vinh Nguyen writes in his foreword--and interrogates their perceptions, aspirations, and beliefs.
Have You Got Good Religion?
by
What compels a person to risk her life to change deeply rooted systems of injustice in ways that may not benefit her? The thousands of Black Churchwomen who took part in civil rights protests drew on faith, courage, and moral imagination to acquire the lived experiences at the heart of the answers to that question. AnneMarie Mingo brings these forgotten witnesses into the historical narrative to explore the moral and ethical world of a generation of Black Churchwomen and the extraordinary liberation theology they created. These women acted out of belief that what they did was bigger than themselves. Taking as their goal nothing less than the moral transformation of American society, they joined the movement because it was something they had to do. Their personal accounts of a lived religion enacted in the world provide powerful insights into how faith steels human beings to face threats, jail, violence, and seemingly implacable hatred. Throughout, Mingo draws on their experiences to construct an ethical model meant to guide contemporary activists in the ongoing pursuit of justice. A depiction of moral imagination that resonates today, Have You Got Good Religion? reveals how Black Churchwomen's understanding of God became action and transformed a nation.
Heavyweight
by
A moving and provocative graphic memoir exploring inherited trauma, family history, and the ever-shifting understanding of our own identities, for readers of Gender Queer and I Was Their American Dream. Solomon Brager grew up with accounts of their great-grandparents' escape from Nazi Germany, told over and over until their understanding of self was bound up with the heroic details of their ancestors' exploits. Their great-grandmother related how her husband, a boxing champion, thrashed Joseph Goebbels and cleared beer halls of Nazis with his fists, how she broke him out of an internment camp and carried their children over the Pyrenees mountains. But that story was never the whole picture; zooming out, everything becomes more complicated. Alongside the Levis' propulsive journey across Europe and to the United States, Brager distills fascinating research about the Holocaust and connected periods of colonial history. Heavyweight asks us to consider how the patterns of history emerge and reverberate, not as a simple chain of events but in haunting layers. Confronting the specters of violence as both historian and descendent, this book is an exploration of family mythology, intergenerational memory, and the mark the past makes on the present. In conversation with works by Rebecca Hall, Nora Krug, Rutu Modan, and Leela Corman, Heavyweight will contribute to the collective work of Holocaust studies and the chronicle of woven human stories.
How to Be a Saint
by
Part history lesson. Part sacrilege. An entirely good time. Think you have what it takes to be a saint? Lucky for you, thousands of souls have paved the way to heaven-creating a clear formula for getting the job done while also leaving a rich, disturbing history behind them. And in just five easy-ish steps, you can learn how to secure your own halo! But even if the whole "dying and becoming a saint" thing doesn't appeal to you, the bizarrely bureaucratic process of canonization is still guaranteed to delight and entertain. How to Be Saint is a compulsively readable and endlessly entertaining ride through Catholicism for anyone who enjoys their history with a side of comedy. From flying friars to severed heads, this book explores the wild lives (and deaths) of saints and pulls the curtain back on the oddest quirks of religious doctrine. Whether you're a lifelong Catholic or a weird-history enthusiast, How to Be a Saint is your ultimate guide to understanding the hilarious, fascinating, and shockingly true history of sainthood.
I Felt the Cheers
by
From the deaf baseball legend and MLB Ambassador for Inclusion, a powerful anthem of ability diversity and overcoming the odds for readers of Nyle DiMarco's Deaf Utopia and sports memoirs such as Imperfect by Jim Abbott, Des Linden's Choosing to Run, and Limitless by Mallory Weggemann. FOREWORD BY NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBER CAL RIPKEN, JR. On a September night in Montreal in 1993, Curtis Pride got his first Major League hit, prompting a long, emotional standing ovation from the crowd of 45,757 fans. Profoundly deaf since birth, Pride couldn't hear their thunderous applause. But as the cheers grew louder and more insistent, he realized he was feeling those vibrations within his chest-an undeniable acknowledgment of an extraordinary achievement. Pride went on to play in 420 more major-league games over eleven different seasons with the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Yankees. He was then hired as head baseball coach at Gallaudet, the world's leading university for deaf and hard of hearing students and was also named Major League Baseball's Ambassador for Inclusion. Pride has received countless national and local awards for his achievements and his service in inspiring and educating others. With candor, warmth, and humor, Pride writes from the heart in I Felt the Cheers. From the first time he played T‑ball at age six and got a couple of hits, he dreamed of playing in the major leagues. No matter how unlikely it seemed, or how much skepticism he faced from teammates or coaches, Pride stayed resolute. Far from it being a disadvantage, he came to see that his deafness could sometimes be a secret weapon, forcing him to use senses that other players take for granted. Curtis's personal journey is unique, but his message is a powerful, universal one, sure to resonate deeply with everyone who has faced difficult challenges. I Felt the Cheers is living proof that dreams can come true, no matter how impossible they seem.
In Covid's Wake
by
Featured on the New York Times' The Daily podcast and CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS What our failures during the pandemic cost us, and why we must do better The Covid pandemic quickly led to the greatest mobilization of emergency powers in human history. By early April 2020, half the world's population--3.9 billion people--were living under quarantine. People were told not to leave their homes; businesses were shuttered, employees laid off, and schools closed for months or even years. The most devastating pandemic in a century and the policies adopted in response to it upended life as we knew it. In this eye-opening book, Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee examine our pandemic response and pose some provocative questions: Why did we ignore pre-Covid plans for managing a pandemic? Were the voices of reasonable dissent treated fairly? Did we adequately consider the costs and benefits of different policy options? And, aside from vaccines, did the policies adopted work as intended? With In Covid's Wake, Macedo and Lee offer the first comprehensive--and candid--political assessment of how our institutions fared during the pandemic. They describe how, influenced by Wuhan's lockdown, governments departed from their existing pandemic plans. Hard choices were obscured by slogans like "follow the science." Benefits and harms were distributed unfairly. The policies adopted largely benefited the laptop class and left so-called essential workers unprotected; extended school closures hit the least-privileged families the hardest. Science became politicized and dissent was driven to the margins. In the next crisis, Macedo and Lee warn, we must not forget the deepest values of liberal democracy: tolerance and open-mindedness, respect for evidence and its limits, a willingness to entertain uncertainty, and a commitment to telling the whole truth.
Intellivision
by
The engaging story of Intellivision, an overlooked videogame system from the late 1970s and early 1980s whose fate was shaped by Mattel, Atari, and countless others who invented the gaming industry. Astrosmash, Snafu, Star Strike, Utopia-do these names sound familiar to you? No? Maybe? They were all videogames created for the Intellivision videogame system, sold by Mattel Electronics between 1979 and 1984. This system was Atari's main rival during a key period when videogames were moving from the arcades into the home. In Intellivision, Tom Boellstorff and Braxton Soderman tell the fascinating inside story of this overlooked gaming system. Along the way, they also analyze Intellivision's chips and code, games, marketing and business strategies, organizational and social history, and the cultural and economic context of the early US games industry from the mid-1970s to the great videogame industry crash of 1983. While many remember Atari, Intellivision has largely been forgotten. As such, Intellivision fills a crucial gap in videogame scholarship, telling the story of a console that sold millions and competed aggressively against Atari. Drawing on a wealth of data from both institutional and personal archives and over 150 interviews with programmers, engineers, executives, marketers, and designers, Boellstorff and Soderman examine the relationship between videogames and toys-an under-analyzed aspect of videogame history-and discuss the impact of home computing on the rise of videogames, the gendered implications of play and videogame design at Mattel, and the blurring of work and play in the early games industry.
The Art of Vanishing
by
A stunningly original love story between a museum employee and the man in a masterpiece hanging on the walls--a breathtaking debut about time, art, and the enduring power of love. "This wildly inventive, deeply moving novel blurs the line between art and those who behold it."--Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name Something magical is happening inside this museum. . . . Jean's life is the same day in and day out. Frozen in time by his painter father, the legendary Henri Matisse, Jean observes the ebb and flow of museum guests as they take in the works of his father and other masters like Renoir, Picasso, and Modigliani. But his world takes a mesmerizing turn when Claire, a new museum employee, enters his life. Night after night, Claire moves through the gallery where Jean's painting hangs, mopping the floors, talking softly to herself to stem her loneliness, and gazing admiringly at the masterpieces above. The alluring man in the corner of the Matisse--is he watching her? Why does she feel a deepening pull to him, like he can see her truest self, her most profound secrets? Did he just move? In an extraordinary twist of fate, Claire discovers she can step through the frame of Jean's painting and into a bygone era, a lush, verdant snapshot of family life in France in the throes of the First World War. She and Jean begin a seemingly impossible affair, falling in love against the backdrop of the gallery's other paintings come to life--glittering parties, exhilarating horse races, and windswept beach bluffs--which they can move through together and where Claire is seemingly the only outside visitor, alone in possession of this gift. But as their happiness is threatened by challenges both inside and outside the museum, Claire and Jean find themselves in a fight to preserve the love they've hardly dared to dream of. Will their extraordinary connection defy the confines of reality, or will the forces conspiring against them shatter their carefully curated happiness?
Empire's Workshop
by
"A pathbreaking work about how policies forged in blood and fire in Latin America were then exported to every corner of the globe. This brilliant and up-to-the-minute new edition is absolutely crucial to understanding our perilous present." --Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine Empire's Workshop is the classic analysis of Latin America's role as proving ground for imperial US strategies and tactics, now in a thoroughly updated and revised edition. Examining over a century of US intervention in Latin America, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin reveals how the region has long served as a laboratory for US foreign policy, providing generations of Washington policy makers with an opportunity to rehearse a broad range of diplomatic and military tactics--tactics that then were applied elsewhere in the world as the US became a global superpower. During the Great Depression, for instance, FDR's Good Neighbor policy taught the United States to use "soft power" effectively and provided a blueprint for its postwar "empire by invitation." In the 1980s, Reagan likewise turned to Latin America, but now to rehabilitate "hard power" after the debacle of Vietnam, putting the United States on the road to its current crisis: endless, forever wars. This completely revised edition includes new information on the US invasion of Panama, US interventions in Cuba, Guatemala, and Chile, Plan Colombia and the War on Drugs, the Obama administration's involvement in the 2009 coup in Honduras, and the current crisis at the US-Mexico border, caused by decades of misguided Washington policies. Most provocatively, Grandin argues that the origins of many of the current threats to American democracy--disinformation, permanent surveillance, political extremism and out-of-control militarism--were foreshadowed in the United States' Central American policy.
Going Nuclear
by
A bold, provocative, and knowledgeable case for the importance of nuclear science and how nuclear power is essential to reaching net zero. What if net zero is not an environmental challenge, but an energy challenge? In this visionary book, Dr. Tim Gregory challenges prevailing narratives around climate change, arguing that the goal of net zero is not simply to replace fossil fuels with renewables, but to power civilization using sources of energy that do not emit carbon dioxide. He unequivocally shows that only one emissions-free energy source can rise to that challenge: nuclear power. Going Nuclear calls for decarbonization to be the twenty-first century's Apollo program, illuminating the far-reaching potential of the atom beyond clean energy to advanced medicine, forensics, atomic gardening, and interplanetary exploration. By interweaving scientific optimism, myth-busting data, and ambitious policy, Gregory offers an alternative nuclear future that can meet the shared goal of environmental stewardship and continued human progress.
How Large Language Models Work
by
Learn how large language models like GPT and Gemini work under the hood in plain English. How Large Language Models Work translates years of expert research on Large Language Models into a readable, focused introduction to working with these amazing systems. It explains clearly how LLMs function, introduces the optimization techniques to fine-tune them, and shows how to create pipelines and processes to ensure your AI applications are efficient and error-free. In How Large Language Models Work you will learn how to: Test and evaluate LLMs Use human feedback, supervised fine-tuning, and Retrieval augmented generation (RAG) Reducing the risk of bad outputs, high-stakes errors, and automation bias Human-computer interaction systems Combine LLMs with traditional ML How Large Language Models Work is written by some of the best machine learning researchers at Booz Allen Hamilton, including researcher Stella Biderman, Director of AI/ML Research Drew Farris, and Director of Emerging AI Edward Raff. In clear and simple terms, these experts lay out the foundational concepts of LLMs, the technology's opportunities and limitations, and best practices for incorporating AI into your organization.
Ida Lupino, Forgotten Auteur
by
An archival study of Ida Lupino's work in film and television directing, writing, producing, and acting from the 1940s to the 1970s. Though her acting career is well known, Ida Lupino was, until very recently, either unknown or overlooked as an influential director. One of the few female directors in Classical Hollywood, Lupino was the only woman with membership in the Directors Guild of America between 1948 and 1971. Her films were about women without power in society and engaged with highly controversial topics despite Hollywood's strict production code. Working in a male-dominated field, Lupino was forced to manage her public persona carefully, resisting attempts by the press to paint her solely as a dutiful wife and mother--a continual feminization--just so that she could continue directing. Filmmaker Alexandra Seros retells the story of Ida Lupino's career, from actor to director, first in film, then in television, using archival materials from collections housed around the world. The result provides rich insights into three of Lupino's independently directed films and a number of episodes from her vast television oeuvre. Seros contextualizes this analysis with discussions of gendered labor in the film industry, the rise of consumerism in the United States after World War II, and the expectations put on women in their family lives during the postwar era. Seros's portrait of Lupino ultimately paints her life and career as an exemplar of collaborative auteurship.
India
by
A dazzling new history of the Indian subcontinent and its diverse peoples in global context--from antiquity to today Much of world history is Indian history. Home today to one in four people, the subcontinent has long been densely populated and deeply connected to Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas through migration and trade. In this magisterial history, Audrey Truschke tells the fascinating story of the region historically known as India--which includes today's India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of Afghanistan--and the people who have lived there. A sweeping account of five millennia, from the dawn of the Indus Valley Civilization to the twenty-first century, this engaging and richly textured narrative chronicles the most important political, social, religious, intellectual, and cultural events. And throughout, it describes how the region has been continuously reshaped by its astonishing diversity, religious and political innovations, and social stratification. Here, readers will learn about Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Sikhism; the Vedas and Mahabharata; Ashoka and the Mauryan Empire; the Silk Road; the Cholas; Indo-Persian rule; the Mughal Empire; European colonialism; national independence movements; the 1947 Partition of India; the recent rise of Hindu nationalism; the challenges of climate change; and much more. Emphasizing the diversity of human experiences on the subcontinent, the book presents a wide range of voices, including those of women, religious minorities, lower classes, and other marginalized groups. You cannot understand India today without appreciating its deeply contested history, which continues to drive current events and controversies. A comprehensive and innovative book, India is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the past, present, or future of the subcontinent.
Internet of Things Programming Projects
by
Unleash the potential of IoT by creating weather indicators, information displays, alarm systems, and a vision recognition-enabled robot car Key Features Get to grips with the Raspberry Pi ecosystem and its role in IoT development Integrate cutting-edge technologies such as MQTT, LoRa, and ROS for advanced IoT applications Achieve superior control in your robot car with vision recognition and the power of ROS Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book Description Renowned for its versatility, affordability, and active community support, Raspberry Pi is at the forefront of IoT development. Unlock the vast potential of Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi Pico by learning how to develop practical projects with this updated edition of Internet of Things Programming Projects.Written by an expert programmer who's worked for some of Canada's largest companies, this book starts with foundational concepts and practical exercises such as building a basic weather indicator, and gradually progressed toward more complex projects. You'll get to grips with coding nuances and web service integrations that will help you create a sophisticated IoT robot car equipped with motor control, wireless communication, and sensor amalgamation. The book also explores LoRa technology, a game-changer for long-range, low-power communication in your projects, and delves into robot car development by implementing the Robot Operating System (ROS) for advanced control and coordination.Through clear, step-by-step instructions and insightful explanations, you'll gain the skills and confidence to develop innovative IoT solutions for real-world applications. By the end of the book, you'll have mastered the intricacies of IoT programming, from harnessing Raspberry Pi's capabilities to seamlessly integrating external components. What you will learn Integrate web services into projects for real-time data display and analysis Integrate sensors, motors, and displays to build smart IoT devices Build a weather indicator using servo motors and LEDs Create an autonomous IoT robot car capable of performing tasks Develop a home security system with real-time alerts and SMS notifications Explore LoRa and LoRaWAN for remote environmental monitoring Who this book is for This book is for beginners as well as experienced programmers, IoT developers, and Raspberry Pi enthusiasts. With just basic knowledge of IoT, you can dive right in and explore the projects with ease. ]]>
Islam
by
A concise new narrative history of Islam that draws on the transformative insights of recent research to emphasize the diversity and dynamism of the tradition Today's Muslim world is in upheaval: legalists and mystics engage in intense debates, radical groups invoke Sharia, Muslim immigrants in the West face prejudice and discrimination, and Muslim feminists advocate new interpretations of the Koran. At the same time, Islam is mischaracterized as unitary and unchanging by people ranging from right-wing Western politicians claiming that Islam is incompatible with democracy to conservative Muslims dreaming of returning to the golden age of the prophet. Against this contentious backdrop, this book provides an essential and timely new history of the religion in all its astonishing richness and diversity as it has been practiced by Muslims around the world, from seventh-century Mecca to today. Most popular histories of Islam continue to repeat conventional pietistic accounts. In contrast, John Tolan draws on decades of new historical research that has transformed knowledge of the origins and development of the Muslim faith. He shows how the youngest of the three great monotheisms arose in close contact with Jewish, Christian, and other religious traditions in a mixture of cultures, including Arab, Greek, Persian, and Turkish; how Islam spread across an enormous territory encompassing hundreds of languages and cultures; how Muslims have forged widely different beliefs and practices over fourteen centuries; and how Islamic history provides crucial context for understanding contemporary debates in the Muslim world. At a time when much talk about Islam is filled with misunderstanding, stereotypes, and bias, this book provides a fresh and lucid portrait of the continuous and ongoing transformations of a religion of tremendous variety and complexity.
It's Not That Radical
by
From a star of the climate justice movement, a fresh, radical perspective for real climate action and "an indispensable toolkit for a new generation of activists" (Naomi Klein). For too long, representations of climate action in the mainstream media have been white-washed, green-washed and diluted to be made compatible with capitalism. In It's Not That Radical, Loach addresses head-on the issues at the root of the climate crisis. As Loach shows, we are living in an economic system which pursues profit above all else; harmful, oppressive systems that heavily contribute to the climate crisis, and environmental consequences that have been toned down to the masses. Tackling the climate crisis requires us to visit the roots of poverty, capitalist exploitation, police brutality, and legal injustice. Climate justice offers the real possibility of huge leaps towards racial equality and collective liberation as it aims to dismantle the very foundations of these issues. Written with candor and hope, It's Not That Radical will galvanize readers to take action, offering a practical and transformative appraisal of our circumstances to help mobilize a majority for the future of our planet.
Jamaica Road
by
A transformative love story about two best friends who fall for each other, fall apart, and try to find their way back together in their tight-knit British-Jamaican community. South London, 1981: Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down, preferably in a book. The easiest way to survive is to go unnoticed. Daphne's attempts at invisibility are upended when a boy named Connie Small arrives from Jamaica. Connie is the opposite of small in every way: lanky, outgoing, and unapologetically himself. Daphne tries to keep her distance, but Connie is magnetic, and they form an intense bond. As they navigate growing up in a volatile, rapidly changing city, their families become close, and their friendship begins to shift into something more complicated. When Connie reveals that he and his mother "nuh land"--meaning they're in England illegally--Daphne realizes that she is dangerously entangled in Connie's fragile home life. Soon, long-buried secrets in both families threaten to tear them apart permanently. Spanning one tumultuous decade, from the industrial docklands of the Thames to the sandy beaches of Calabash Bay, Jamaica Road is a deftly plotted and emotionally expansive debut novel about race and class, the family you're born with and the family you choose, and the limits of what true love can really conquer.
Japan's Quiet Leadership
by
Why has Japan emerged from the "lost decades" unscathed from the populist wave and a far more consequential actor in the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific? In answering this question, Japan's Quiet Leadership provides a sweeping look at Japan's domestic economic and political evolution, its economic statecraft, and the array of geopolitical challenges that have triggered a gradual but substantial shift in the country's security profile. This deep dive into Japan's trajectory over the last three decades underscores Japan's hidden strengths in its democratic resilience, social stability, and proactive diplomacy; while reckoning with the profound challenges the nation faces: depopulation, rising inequality, voter disengagement, and threats to Asia's long peace. The book traces the profound currents of change coursing through the Japanese polity and its external environment; and the myriad ways in which Japan's experience has become more relevant to countries coping with slow growth, adverse demographics, adjustment to economic globalization, and the emergence of a powerful and assertive China. This is a story of Japan's reinvention as a network power to overcome the harsh realities of diminishing relative capabilities. In reshaping the Indo-Pacific, Tokyo deployed a robust economic strategy of trade integration and infrastructure finance; and a proactive security diplomacy cultivating new partnerships with regional and extra-regional actors and deepening the alliance with the United States. Nevertheless, acute geopolitical rifts, Japan's pandemic insularity, and the securitization of international economic relations are testing Japan's statecraft of connectivity. The tasks at home are no less pressing: delivering on the green, digital, and human capital transformations, avoiding the return of the politics of indecision at the helm of the nation, and fostering democratic dynamism. This book illuminates where the Japanese polity, economy, and people are heading as we move past the Abe era, and well into the 2020s and beyond.
Last Artist Standing
by
A look at how seasoned artists stay relevant and inspire new generations. Last Artist Standing presents essays on the lives of thirty-one artists over the age of fifty, which explore how they have sustained their creative lives and the different paths they have taken throughout their artistic careers. The artists discussed here have learned how to thrive and be creative through decades of life's challenges, and they have become mentors to other artists. This collection addresses the ability of these artists to remain contemporary as they adapt through generational shifts, the challenges--the physical, financial, and professional--they have overcome to remain vibrant and sustaining artists, and their role as inspirational models to others who may be turning to art late in their lives. By sharing these artists' stories, this book hopes to offer examples of living an engaged and creative life that can be replicated across all age groups, both within and beyond the art world. Cover image: Jaq Chartier Blues w/8 Whites 2020 16" x 16" Acrylic, inks, dyes, stains & spray paint on wood panel Courtesy of the artist
Letters
by
One of The New Statesman's Best Books of the Year One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 One of The New Yorker's 'Best Books We've Read in 2024 So Far' THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE * The letters of one of the greatest observers of the human species, revealing his passion for life and work, friendship and art, medicine and society, and the richness of his relationships with friends, family, and fellow intellectuals over the decades, collected here for the first time "Here is the unedited Oliver Sacks--struggling, passionate, a furiously intelligent misfit. And also endless interesting. He was a man like no other." --Atul Gawande, author of Being Mortal Dr. Oliver Sacks--who describes himself in these pages as a "philosophical physician" and a "neuropathological Talmudist"--wrote letters throughout his life: to his parents and his beloved Auntie Len, to friends and colleagues from London, Oxford, California, and around the world. The letters begin with his arrival in America as a young man, eager to establish himself away from the confines of postwar England, and carry us through his bumpy early career in medicine and the discovery of his writer's voice; his weight-lifting, motorcycle-riding years and his explosive seasons of discovery with the patients who populate his book Awakenings; his growing interest in matters of sight and the musical brain; his many friendships and exchanges with writers, artists, and scientists (to say nothing of astronauts, botanists, and mathematicians), and his deep gratitude for all these relationships at the end of his life. Sensitively introduced and edited by Kate Edgar, Sacks's longtime editor, the letters deliver a portrait of Sacks as he wrestles with the workings of the brain and mind. We see, through his eyes, the beginnings of modern neuroscience, following the thought processes of one of the great intellectuals of our time, whose words, as evidenced in these pages, were unfailingly shaped with generosity and wonder toward other people.
Lincoln's Peace
by
One historian's journey to find the end of the Civil War-and, along the way, to expand our understanding of the nature of war itself and how societies struggle to draw the line between war and peace LOS ANGELES TIMES "TOP TEN BOOKS TO READ IN 2025" "Eye-opening, disturbing, moving and at times jaw-dropping . . . Once in a great while a book arrives that allows us to rediscover the strange inexhaustibility of the Civil War. Lincoln's Peace is such a book." -Tony Kushner "Lincoln's Peace does something remarkable- It makes us think about familiar questions in an entirely new and engaging way. A marvelous achievement." -Jon Meacham "Helps us understand what the war was all about and whether in some ways it is still being fought." -Eric Foner We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared "the insurrection is at an end"? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of "forever wars," to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War-and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.
Making Sense of Slavery
by
An "essential" (James Oakes, author of The Crooked Path to Abolition) history of the study of slavery in America, from the Revolutionary era to the 1619 Project, showing how these intellectual debates have shaped American public life In recent years, from school board meetings to the halls of Congress, Americans have engaged in fierce debates about how slavery and its legacies ought to be taught, researched, and narrated. But since the earliest days of the Republic, political leaders, abolitionists, judges, scholars, and ordinary citizens have all struggled to explain and understand the peculiar institution. In Making Sense of Slavery, historian Scott Spillman shows that the study of slavery was a vital catalyst for the broader development of American intellectual life and politics. In contexts ranging from the plantation fields to the university classroom, Americans interpreted slavery and its afterlives through many lenses, shaping the trajectory of disciplines from economics to sociology, from psychology to history. Spillman delves deeply into the archives, and into the pathbreaking work of scholars such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Annette Gordon-Reed, to trace how generations of Americans have wrestled with the paradox of slavery in a country founded on principles of liberty and equality. As the debate over the place of slavery in our history rages on, Making Sense of Slavery shows that what is truly central to American history is this very debate itself. 
Mandalas
by
Exploring the significance of Tibetan mandalas from their ancient origins to the present day, this gorgeously illustrated volume provides a contemporary perspective on a centuries-old Buddhist model of the universe A New York Times "Best Art Book of 2024" A mandala is a diagram of the universe--a map of true reality intended to provide a focus for Buddhist religious practice and inspire the devout. This book highlights the distinctive Tibetan approach to creating mandalas, exploring how the form crossed over from India into Tibet, and how continuous exchanges of art and ideas between the two cultures, led by monks and spiritual teachers, gave rise to a uniquely Tibetan style of Buddhist imagery. Featuring more than one hundred paintings, sculptures, and ritual objects, this superbly illustrated volume reflects the dazzling complexities of the Tibetan imagery that has provided a foundation for mandalas through the centuries. Most notably, a mesmerizing installation by the Tibetan-American artist Tenzing Rigdol (b. 1982), specially created for the accompanying exhibition and published here for the first time, offers contemporary audiences a way of interrogating and understanding their world and underscores how this ancient tradition remains a vibrant living practice. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (September 19, 2024-January 12, 2025)
NATO
by
A wide-ranging new history of NATO, from its origins to the present day--published for the alliance's seventy-fifth anniversary For seven decades, NATO's stated aim has been the achievement of world peace--but playing great power politics always involves conflict. Russia's war on Ukraine and on Europe's security order puts the alliance under threat, but also demonstrates why transatlantic cooperation is so necessary. But how did NATO get to where it is today, and what does its future hold? In this incisive new account, Sten Rynning traces the full history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation from its origins to the present. Across its seventy-five years, NATO has navigated the twists and turns of Cold War diplomacy and nuclear deterrence, and has grown its membership. The alliance has become a guarantor of peace, but Rynning explores how its complex inner workings alongside Russian and Chinese opposition are now shaping its direction. At a time of strategic competition and geopolitical upheaval, Rynning offers us a clear-sighted account of the alliance's intriguing history--and asks what its ambitions might be for the future.
Off Menu: a Graphic Novel
by
The last thing on Soup's to-do list is to make waves at the restaurant she calls home, but when her boss's villainous behavior becomes toxic, she decides to dismantle his power by beating him at his own game-cooking! This graphic novel is an empowering story about taking risks, finding your voice, and being brave enough to stand up for friends. At seventeen, Soup is at a crossroads, eager to make her mark on the world, yet reluctant to leave the restaurant she calls home--the place where she was found as a baby, the place where she grew up, the place where she learned to cook. It's only when her elven boss snaps at her that she begins to see his pattern of abuse, starting in the kitchen and extending all across town. Something's got to give, and the answer is simple: a cooking competition for the restaurant. If Soup wins, she'll claim the business and protect her village from destructive expansion. But if she loses, she'll have to leave her home and stand by as the food community she loves is razed to the ground. With friends and chosen family rallying around her, Soup has a chance to win. Yet, everyone knows villains don't fight fair, and this restauranteur is not going to give up his throne so easily . . . "Readers will love the themes of found family and burgeoning love. Don't miss this one." -School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
On Painting
by
Available for the first time in English: the complete and annotated transcripts of Deleuze's 1981 seminars on painting From 1970 until 1987, Gilles Deleuze held a weekly seminar at the Experimental University of Vincennes and, starting in 1980, at Saint-Denis. In the spring of 1981, he began a series of eight seminars on painting and its intersections with philosophy. The recorded sessions, newly transcribed and translated into English, are now available in their entirety for the first time. Extensively annotated by philosopher David Lapoujade, On Painting illuminates Deleuze's thinking on artistic creation, significantly extending the lines of thought in his book Francis Bacon. Through paintings and writing by Rembrandt, Delacroix, Turner, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Klee, Pollock, and Bacon, Deleuze explores the creative process, from chaos to the pictorial fact. The introduction and use of color feature prominently as Deleuze elaborates on artistic and philosophical concepts such as the diagram, modulation, code, and the digital and the analogical. Through this scrutiny, he raises a series of profound and stimulating questions for his students: How does a painter ward off grayness and attain color? What is a line without contour? Why paint at all? Written and thought in a rhizomatic manner that is thoroughly Deleuzian--strange, powerful, and novel--On Painting traverses both the conception of art history and the possibility of color as a philosophical concept. Retail e-book files for this title are screen-reader friendly with images accompanied by short alt text and/or extended descriptions.
On Xi Jinping
by
An authoritative account of Xi Jinping's worldview and how it drives Chinese behaviour both domestically and on the world stage.In his new book, On Xi Jinping, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd provides an authoritative account of the ideological worldview driving Chinese behaviour both domestically and on the world stage--that of President Xi Jinping, who now hold near-total control over the Chinese Communist Party and is now, in effect, president-for-life. Rudd argues that Xi's worldview differs significantly from those of the leaders who preceded him, and that this ideological shift is reflected in the real world of Chinese policy and behaviour. Focusing on China's domestic politics, political economy, and foreign policy, Rudd characterises Xi Jinping's ideological framing of the world as "Marxist-Leninist nationalism." According to Rudd, Xi's notion of Leninism has taken the party and Chinese politics further to the left in comparison to his predecessors. Also, his Marxism has also taken Chinese economic thinking to the left-in a more decisively more statist direction and away from the historical dynamism of the private sector. However, Chinese nationalism under Xi has moved further to the right- towards a much, harder-edged, foreign policy vision of China and a new determination to change the international status quo. Xi's worldview is an integrated one, where his national ideological vision for China's future is ultimately inseparable from his view on China's position in the region and the world. These changes in worldview are also reflected in Xi's broader rehabilitation of the concept of "struggle" as a legitimate concept for the conduct of both Chinese domestic and foreign policy--a struggle that need not necessarily always be peaceful.Finally, Xi's ideological worldview also exhibits a new level of nationalist self-confidence about China's future--derived from China's historical and civilizational strengths but reinforced by his Marxist-Leninist concept of historical determinism and the belief that the tides of history are now on firmly China's side. A powerful analysis of the worldview of arguably the most consequential world leader of our era, this will be essential reading for anyone interested in how Xi is transforming both China and the international order, and, most importantly, why?
Plato and the Tyrant
by
Plato is one of history's most influential thinkers, the "sublime philosopher" whose writings remain foundational to Western culture. He is known for the brilliant dialogues in which he depicted his teacher, Socrates, discussing ethical truths with prominent citizens of Athens. Yet the image we have of Plato--an ethereal figure far removed from society and politics, who conjured abstract ideas in peaceful groves--is a fiction, created by Plato's admirers and built up over centuries. In fact, Plato was very much a man of the world. In Plato and the Tyrant, acclaimed historian and classicist James Romm draws on personal letters of Plato--documents that have long been kept in obscurity--to show how a philosopher helped topple the leading Greek power of the era: the opulent city of Syracuse. There, Plato encountered two authoritarian rulers, a father and son both named Dionysius, and tried to steer them toward philosophy. At the same time, he worked on his masterpiece, Republic, in which he conceived a ruler who unites perfect wisdom with absolute power. That dream has echoed down through the ages and given rise to a famous term, one that Plato himself didn't actually use: philosopher-king. As Romm reveals, Plato's time in Syracuse helped shape Republic--and also had disastrous results for Plato himself and for all of Greek Sicily. The younger Dionysius, emotionally unstable but intellectually curious, welcomed Plato with open arms, but soon the relationship soured. Plato's close friendship with Dionysius's uncle, Dion--possibly a bond of romantic love--created a rift in the ruling family that led to a chaotic civil war. Combining thrilling political drama with explorations of Plato's most cherished ideas, Romm takes us into the heart of Greece's late classical age, a time when many believed that democracy had failed. Plato's search for solutions led him to write his fervent plea for a new political order, and also led him to a place where he believed his theories might be put into practice. But Plato and the Tyrant demonstrates how Plato's experiment with enlightened autocracy spiraled into catastrophe, and also gives us nothing less than a new account of the origins of Western political thought.
Post Office
by
Charles Bukowski's classic roman à clef, Post Office, captures the despair, drudgery, and happy dissolution of his alter ego, Henry Chinaski, as he enters middle age. Post Office is an account of Bukowski alter-ego Henry Chinaski. It covers the period of Chinaski's life from the mid-1950s to his resignation from the United States Postal Service in 1969, interrupted only by a brief hiatus during which he supported himself by gambling at horse races. "The Walt Whitman of Los Angeles."--Joyce Carol Oates "He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels."--Leonard Cohen, songwriter
Ransom War
by
This timely book explores the alarming rise of ransomware: malicious software blocking users from their systems or data, until they've paid money to regain access or to prevent the release of sensitive information. High-profile British examples of the twenty-first century have targeted national libraries and healthcare organizations; in the US, hackers of Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley Health Network held patient data hostage--when their demands went unmet, they published topless photographs of women with breast cancer. The issue presents formidable challenges and costs for businesses, national security and, as the Pennsylvania case showed, individuals--often society's most vulnerable. But we can watch and learn from cyber extortionists, leaving us better prepared for next time. In 2022, a series of devastating ransomware attacks prompted Costa Rica's President to declare a national emergency, describing a 'state of war'. This episode had much to tell us about how these networks arise, operate, organize--and collapse. Max Smeets' landmark study demystifies the ransomware playbook, from funding to networking. Through one of the largest ransomware operations on record, he reveals how this challenge has evolved, how it differs in substance and style from traditional cyber/hacking threats, and how to combat it.
Rig It Right!
by
Rig it Right! breaks down rigging so that you can achieve a fundamental understanding of the concept. The author will get you up and rigging with step-by-step tutorials covering multiple animation control types, connection methods, interactive skinning, BlendShapes, edgeloops, and joint placement, to name a few. The concept of a bi-ped is explored as a human compared to a bird character allowing you to see that a bi-ped is a bi-ped and how to problem solve for the limbs at hand. Rig it Right! will take you to a more advanced level where you will learn how to create stretchy rigs with invisible control systems and use that to create your own types of rigs. The highly anticipated Third Edition features updated chapters and images including new models, updated skinning/binding methods, updated BlendShapes, and up-to-date models. Key Features Hone your skills every step of the way with short tutorials and editable rigs that accompany each chapter. (17+ rigs!!). Read "Tina's 10 Rules of Rigging" and build the foundational knowledge needed to successfully rig your characters. Visit the companion website and expand your newfound knowledge with editable rigs, exercises, and videos that elaborate on techniques covered in the book. AR (Augmented Reality) enabled images throughout the book!
ROAR, Revised Edition
by
The groundbreaking book that revolutionized exercise nutrition and performance for female athletes, now freshly updated Women are not small men. Stop eating and training like one. In ROAR, exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Stacy T. Sims, PhD, teaches you everything you need to know to adapt your nutrition, hydration, and training to work with (rather than against) your unique female physiology. Complete with goal-specific meal plans and nutrient-packed recipes to optimize body composition, ROAR contains personalized nutrition advice for all stages of training and recovery. Customizable meal plans and strengthening exercises come together in a comprehensive plan to build a rock-solid fitness foundation through gaining lean muscle where you need it most, strengthening your bones, and boosting your power and endurance. This revised edition includes a wealth of new research developments, expanded recommendations based on those findings, and updates to reflect the changing landscape of women's sports. Because a woman's physiology changes over time, entire chapters are devoted to staying strong and active through pregnancy and menopause. No matter what your sport is-running, cycling, field sports, triathlons-this book will empower you with the nutrition and fitness knowledge you need to be in the healthiest, fittest, strongest shape of your life.
Robert Schumann's Advice to Young Musicians
by
If everybody were to play first violin, we could not have an orchestra. Therefore respect each musician in his own place. There is no end to learning. Originally published in1850, Advice to Young Musicians: Musical Rules for Home and in Life offered composer Robert Schumann's (1810-56) combination of practical advice and poetic words of wisdom for young people beginning their musical education. Presented in aphorisms and short paragraphs, the book's insights remain as valuable today as when it was written. Recognizing the continued resonance of Schumann's words, world-renowned cellist Steven Isserlis, himself a writer of children's books and many articles for young musicians, set out to rescue the work from history. Here, in this beautiful gift edition, he revisits Schumann's work and contributes his own contemporary counsel for musicians and music lovers. For this edition, Isserlis retranslated Schumann's text and arranged it into four thematic sections: "On being a musician," "Playing," "Practicing," and "Composing." Each page is decoratively designed, and accompanying Schumann's original quotation are Isserlis's thoughtful and often humorous glosses. The book concludes with Isserlis's own reflections on his life as a musician and performer: "My Own Bits of Advice (For What They're Worth)." The result is a unique and thought-provoking book that will be treasured by aspiring musicians of any age.
Such Great Heights
by
AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER The definitive history of twenty-first-century indie rock--from Iron & Wine and Death Cab for Cutie to Phoebe Bridgers and St. Vincent--and how the genre shifted the musical landscape and shaped a generation Maybe you caught a few exhilarating seconds of "Teen Age Riot" on a nearby college radio station while scanning the FM dial in your parents' car. Maybe your friend invited you to a shabby local rock club and you ended up having a religious experience with Neutral Milk Hotel. Perhaps you were scandalized and tantalized upon sneaking Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville from an older sibling's CD collection, or you vowed to download every Radiohead song you could find on LimeWire because they were the favorite band of the guy you had a major crush on. However you found your way into indie rock, once you were a listener, it felt like being part of a secret club of people who had discovered something special, something secret, something superior. In Such Great Heights, music journalist Chris DeVille brilliantly captures this cultural moment, from the early aughts and the height of indie rock, until the 2010s as streaming upends the industry and changes music forever. DeVille covers the gamut of bands--like Arcade Fire, TV On The Radio, LCD Soundsystem, Haim, Pavement, and Bon Iver--and in the vein of Chuck Klosterman's The Nineties, touches on staggering pop culture moments, like finding your new favorite band on MySpace and the life-changing O.C. soundtrack. Nerdy, fun, and a time machine for millennials, Such Great Heights is about how subculture becomes pop culture, how capitalism consumes what's "cool," who gets to define what's hip and why, and how an "underground" genre shaped our lives.
Survival of the Richest
by
Named One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2022 by Kirkus and Literary Hub The tech elite have a plan to survive the apocalypse: they want to leave us all behind. Five mysterious billionaires summoned theorist Douglas Rushkoff to a desert resort for a private talk. The topic? How to survive the "Event": the societal catastrophe they know is coming. Rushkoff came to understand that these men were under the influence of The Mindset, a Silicon Valley-style certainty that they and their cohort can break the laws of physics, economics, and morality to escape a disaster of their own making--as long as they have enough money and the right technology. In Survival of the Richest, Rushkoff traces the origins of The Mindset in science and technology through its current expression in missions to Mars, island bunkers, AI futurism, and the metaverse. In a dozen urgent, electrifying chapters, he confronts tech utopianism, the datafication of all human interaction, and the exploitation of that data by corporations. Through fascinating characters--master programmers who want to remake the world from scratch as if redesigning a video game and bankers who return from Burning Man convinced that incentivized capitalism is the solution to environmental disasters--Rushkoff explains why those with the most power to change our current trajectory have no interest in doing so. And he shows how recent forms of anti-mainstream rebellion--QAnon, for example, or meme stocks--reinforce the same destructive order. This mind-blowing work of social analysis shows us how to transcend the landscape The Mindset created--a world alive with algorithms and intelligences actively rewarding our most selfish tendencies--and rediscover community, mutual aid, and human interdependency. In a thundering conclusion, Survival of the Richest argues that the only way to survive the coming catastrophe is to ensure it doesn't happen in the first place.
The Archaeology of Han China
by
The Han Dynasty, which ruled from 202 BCE to 212 CE, is often taken as a reference point and model for Chinese identity and tradition. Covering a geographical expanse comparable to that of the People's Republic of China, it is foundational to understanding Chinese culture and politics, past and present. This volume offers an up-to-date overview of the archaeology of the Han Empire. Alice Yao and Wengcheong Lam study the period via an interdisciplinary approach that combines textual and archaeological evidence. Exploring the dynamics of empire building in East Asia, Yao and Lam draw on recent archaeological discoveries to recast Western Han imperialism as a series of contingent material projects, including the organization of spatial orders, foodways, and the expansion of communication and ritual activities. They also demonstrate how the archaeology of everyday life offers insights into the impact of social change, and how people negotiated their identities and cultural affiliations as individuals and imperial subordinates.
The Avoidable War
by
A war between China and the US would be catastrophic, deadly, and destructive. Unfortunately, it is no longer unthinkable. The relationship between the US and China, the world's two superpowers, is peculiarly volatile. It rests on a seismic fault--of cultural misunderstanding, historical grievance, and ideological incompatibility. No other nations are so quick to offend and be offended. Their militaries play a dangerous game of chicken, corporations steal intellectual property, intelligence satellites peer, and AI technicians plot. The capacity for either country to cross a fatal line grows daily. Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister who has studied, lived in, and worked with China for more than forty years, is one of the very few people who can offer real insight into the mindsets of the leadership whose judgment will determine if a war will be fought. The Avoidable War demystifies the actions of both sides, explaining and translating them for the benefit of the other. Geopolitical disaster is still avoidable, but only if these two giants can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through what Rudd calls "managed strategic competition." Should they fail, down that path lies the possibility of a war that could rewrite the future of both countries, and the world.
The Battle of the Bookshops
by
A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt's beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition--which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family's rivals. The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne's Books for nearly a hundred years... The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop's hundredth birthday a celebration to remember. Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, unlikely to make it to its own centenary celebration, and the lease on the building is up for renewal. With a six-figure sum needed, the future looks bleak. To make matters worse, the owner of the property is the insufferable Roman Montbeau, from the posh, local family who owns half of Portneath. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have feuded for years, and Roman has clearly not improved since he tormented Jules as a child. Fresh from a high-flying career in New York, he is on a mission to shake things up, and--unforgivably--proves his point about Capelthorne's being a relic of the past by opening a new bookshop directly opposite--a shiny, plate-glass-windowed emporium of books. Jules may not be able to splash the cash on promotions and marketing like the Montbeaus, but she's got some ideas of her own, plus she has a tenacity that may just win the hardest of hearts and the most hopeless of conflicts. Let the battle of the bookshops commence...
The Conjuring of America
by
BookRiot's Best New Nonfiction | NPR's New Books to Read | Ms. Magazine's Most Anticipated Feminist Book A crucial telling of U.S. history centering the Black women whose magic gave rise to the rich tapestry of American culture, wellness, and spirituality that we see today--from Vicks VapoRub and Aunt Jemima's pancake mix, to the magic of Disney's The Little Mermaid (2023), and the all-American blue jean. Emerging first on plantations in the American South, enslaved conjure women used their magic to treat illnesses. These women combined their ancestral spiritual beliefs from West Africa with local herbal rituals and therapeutic remedies to create conjure, forging a secret well of health and power hidden to their oppressors and many of the modern-day staples we still enjoy. In The Conjuring of America, Black feminist philosopher Lindsey Stewart exposes this vital contour of American history. In the face of slavery, Negro Mammies fashioned a legacy of magic that begat herbal experts, fearsome water bearers, and powerful mojos--roles and traditions that for centuries have been passed down to respond to Black struggles in real time. And when Jim Crow was born, Granny Midwives and textile weavers leveled their techniques to protect our civil and reproductive rights, while Candy Ladies fed a generation of freedom crusaders. Sourcing firsthand accounts the of enslaved, dispatches from the lore of Oshun, and the wisdom of beloved Black women writers, Stewart proves indisputably that conjure informs our lives in ways remarkable and ordinary. Above all, The Conjuring of America is a love letter to the magic Black women used to sow messages of rebellion, freedom, and hope.
The Convenience Store by the Sea
by
The heartwarming, international bestseller with over half a million copies sold. "An unexpected treasure." --Laurie Gilmore, bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe Welcome to Tenderness! A quaint seaside town in Kitakyushu, Mojiko is full of hidden delights. And one unexpected treasure is the 24/7 convenience store, Tenderness. Sure, it's a bit odd that the incredibly handsome manager has his own fan club. And perhaps the customers are somewhat eccentric, if not entertaining. But there's a warmth about the store that draws you in. The truth is, Tenderness is different. Operating only in Kyushu, Tenderness stands firm and proud by its motto "Caring for People, Caring for You", no matter the cause. And for Mitsuhiko, dishing out delicious food is simply the appetizer to his unsolicited but hearty wisdom on the town's shenanigans. An international bestseller with over half a million copies sold between Japan and South Korea, The Convenience Store by The Sea tells the delightfully quirky and heartfelt stories of the store's customers and employees, offering us all a unique recipe for a good, fulfilling life.
The Crazies
by
"Yellowstone meets Matlock" (Tom Clavin) in this dazzling tale of land lust and the American West, chronicling the rise and fall of a wind farm that triggers a 21st century range war between a struggling fifth-generation rancher and the billionaires next door. Most locals in Big Timber, Montana, learn to live with the wind. Rick Jarrett sought his fortune in it. Like his pioneer ancestors who staked their claims in the Treasure State, he believed in his right to make a living off the land--and its most precious resource, million-dollar wind. Trouble was, Jarrett's neighbors were some of the wealthiest and most influential men in America, trophy ranchers who'd come west to enjoy magnificent mountain views, not stare at five-hundred-foot wind turbines. So began an epic showdown that would pull in an ever-widening cast of characters, including a Texas oil and gas tycoon, a roguish wind prospector, a Crow activist fighting for his tribe's rights to the mountains they hold sacred, and an Olympic athlete-turned-attorney whose path to redemption would lead to Jarrett's wind farm. A wildly entertaining yarn, the brawl over Crazy Mountain Wind would become a fight over the values that define us as Americans, even as the most coveted rangeland in the West was threatened by forces more powerful than anything one man could muster: record drought, raging wildfires, dwindling snowpack. "An epic tale of greed and resilience," The Crazies "has the power to leave you feeling walloped, whip-sawed, and wildly invigorated, all within the same breath" (Kevin Fedarko, New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Park). It's an exquisitely reported, ruggedly beautiful western for a warming planet--and a bighearted inquiry into how you can love a place so much you risk destroying it.
The Democratic Marketplace
by
An urgent critique of the market-fundamentalist ideals undermining democratic politics, pointing the way to principled reforms. Democracy has been hollowed out by capitalism. A narrow view of markets and their aims--prioritizing efficiency, profit, and growth--now dominates thinking about democracy itself. Citizens are ignorant of the deep principles of self-governance, having long since adopted a facile equation between democracy and voting as a consumer choice. Lisa Herzog argues that democracy is still possible, but only if democratic values get embedded in everyday experience--including economic experience. That requires new ways of thinking about markets and their goals. The Democratic Marketplace theorizes the foundational structures of a democratic economy, in which markets are not just tools for maximizing profit via exploitation and extraction. To this end, employees are empowered to participate in corporate governance. Economic disparities are curbed so that citizens can negotiate their inevitable differences on a truly equal footing. And while a democratic economy need not eschew growth, it does renounce today's growth-at-all-costs expectations, instead balancing growth with goals like ecological sustainability and the preservation of time outside of work. Democratic economics also entails implementing reforms in ways that take seriously the perspectives, experiences, and skills of the whole population. These are not utopian dreams, Herzog contends. The proposals that follow from the theory of democratic economics are already being tested around the world. And the shift in social norms that they necessitate is already under way.
The Emerging Republican Minorities
The End of Empires and a World Remade
by
A capacious history of decolonization from the decline of empires to the era of globalization Empires, until recently, were everywhere. They shaped borders, stirred conflicts, and set the terms of international politics. With the collapse of empire came a fundamental reorganization of our world. Decolonization unfolded across territories as well as within them. Its struggles became internationalized and transnational, as much global campaigns of moral disarmament against colonial injustice as local contests of arms. In this expansive history, Martin Thomas tells the story of decolonization and its intrinsic link to globalization. He traces the connections between these two transformative processes: the end of formal empire and the acceleration of global integration, market reorganization, cultural exchange, and migration. The End of Empires and a World Remade shows how profoundly decolonization shaped the process of globalization in the wake of empire collapse. In the second half of the twentieth century, decolonization catalyzed new international coalitions; it triggered partitions and wars; and it reshaped North-South dynamics. Globalization promised the decolonized greater access to essential resources, to wider networks of influence, and to worldwide audiences, but its neoliberal variant has reinforced economic inequalities and imperial forms of political and cultural influences. In surveying these two codependent histories across the world, from Latin America to Asia, Thomas explains why the deck was so heavily stacked against newly independent nations. Decolonization stands alongside the great world wars as the most transformative event of twentieth-century history. In The End of Empires and a World Remade, Thomas offers a masterful analysis of the greatest process of state-making (and empire-unmaking) in modern history.
The Etruscans
by
From around 900 to 400 BC, the Etruscans were the most innovative, powerful, wealthy, and creative people in Italy. Their archaeological record is both substantial and fascinating, including tomb paintings, sculpture, jewellery, and art. In this Very Short Introduction, Christopher Smith explores Etruscan history, culture, language, and customs. Examining the controversial debates about their origins, he explores how they once lived, placing this within the geographical, economic, and political context of the time. Smith concludes by demonstrating how the Etruscans have been studied and perceived throughout the ages, and the impact this has had on our understanding of their place in history. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi
by
Conventional medical science confirms what Tai Chi masters have known for centuries- regular practice leads to longer life, more vigor and flexibility, better balance and mobility, and a sense of well-being. Cutting-edge research from Harvard Medical School now also supports the long-standing claims that Tai Chi has a beneficial impact on the health of the heart, bones, nerves and muscles, immune system, and the mind. This research also provides insight into the underlying physiological mechanisms that explain how Tai Chi works. Dr. Peter Wayne, a longtime Tai Chi teacher and a researcher at Harvard Medical School, developed the simplified program in this book, similar to protocols that have been scientifically demonstrated to work in a number of clinical trials, and which is suited to people of all ages and can be done in just a few minutes a day. The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi includes- .The basic program, illustrated by 52 halftones of the author .Practical tips for integrating Tai Chi into everyday activities .A readable introduction to the traditional principles of Tai Chi as viewed through the lens of medical science .How Tai Chi can improve work productivity, enhance creativity, and boost sports performance
The Ministry of Time
by
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF SUMMER 2024 * A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * HUGO AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVEL * WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR SCIENCE FICTION * A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, VANITY FAIR, ESQUIRE, VOX, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, THE INDEPENDENT, PARADE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, AND MORE... "This summer's hottest debut." --Cosmopolitan * "Witty, sexy escapist fiction [that] packs a substantial punch...Fresh and thrilling." --Los Angeles Times * "Electric...I loved every second." --Emily Henry "Utterly winning...Imagine if The Time Traveler's Wife had an affair with A Gentleman in Moscow...Readers, I envy you: There's a smart, witty novel in your future." --Ron Charles, The Washington Post A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley. In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she'll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering "expats" from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible--for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time. She is tasked with working as a "bridge": living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as "1847" or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as "washing machines," "Spotify," and "the collapse of the British Empire." But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts. Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry's project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how--and whether she believes--what she does next can change the future. An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley's answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.
The Money Signal
by
A data-rich, eye-opening look at how, when, and why political fundraising is consequential. Over the last two decades, the number of competitive congressional races has declined precipitously. Yet candidates and officeholders dial for more and more dollars each election, and they do so earlier and earlier in the campaign cycle. In The Money Signal, Danielle M. Thomsen offers a new perspective on the role of money in politics. She shows that fundraising matters because it is widely used as an indicator of a candidate's viability and strength, which shapes subsequent donations, dropout decisions, media attention, and rewards in office. Put simply, money is a focal point that candidates, donors, journalists, and party leaders rally around. For candidates, fundraising is a highly public form of self-presentation that pays dividends long before the election and well after the votes are cast. Thomsen draws on comprehensive fundraising data that spans more than four decades, in addition to interviews, surveys of candidates and donors, newspaper coverage, committee assignments, and legislative success. The Money Signal highlights the numerous ways that dollars influence the perceptions and behavior of key actors and observers throughout the election cycle.
The Official Raspberry Pi Handbook 2025
by
Updated in January 2025 with an improved ebook reading experience. Dive into the world of Raspberry Pi with this huge book of tutorials, project showcases, guides, product reviews, and much more from the writers of The MagPi, the official Raspberry Pi magazine. Raspberry Pi Pico 2 joins Raspberry Pi 5 in this, The Official Raspberry Pi Handbook 2025. Pico 2 comes with a faster processor than the original Pico, and uses less power -- while still maintaining the same form factor and pinout. With both Pico 2 and Raspberry Pi 5 you can power any project you can imagine. With 200 pages packed full of maker goodness, you'll also find inspiration for your Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, Raspberry Pi 4, or any other Raspberry Pi model you have -- there's something for everyone. In this handbook you'll find: A get started guide that covers every Raspberry Pi Everything you need to know about the brand-new Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (Pico 2 sold separately) Inspiring projects to spark your next build idea Tutorials for makers of all skill levels Guides for media centres, game emulators, and more! This bumper book is your definitive guide to everything Raspberry Pi. It's essential for any maker with big dreams and a thirst for knowledge.
The Politics of South Korea
by
"Useful comparatively and in terms of Korean-specific historical issues, Choi's volume skillfully captures the leader-oriented, rather than policy-focused, party politics." --Choice "Offers great value to anyone keen to develop a systematic understanding of South Korea's domestic politics and foreign relations." --Yong Wook Lee, Korea University "A comprehensive yet readable account of Korea's meteoric rise.... Ji Young Choi provides a balanced and nuanced portrayal that is thoughtful, thorough, and engrossing." --Mitchell Lerner, Ohio State University "Superbly written and covering all of the major issues, this is an excellent introduction to South Korea's politics, economy, and international relations." --Yong-Chool Ha, University of Washington "Engaging, timely, and insightful: this accessible book presents the most up-to-date and detailed illustration of South Korea's politics, economy, society, culture, and foreign relations." --Soyoung Kwon, George Mason University Korea Once an impoverished, autocratic country, in just a few decades South Korea has transformed itself into a vibrant democracy with a highly developed economy. Using a comparative perspective to look at the factors behind South Korea's dynamism, Ji Young Choi provides a comprehensive, balanced, and accessible introduction to the country's politics, economy, and international relations. He also considers the political and economic history of North Korea in the context of inter-Korean relations. CONTENTS: Why Study South Korea? The Impact of History. The Long Road from Dictatorship to Democracy. The Challenges of Democratic Transition and Consolidation. Economic Development and Financial Crisis. The Culture Industry and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Evolving Dynamics of Foreign Relations. Grappling with North Korea. South Korea at a Crossroads.
The Power of Black Excellence
by
A powerful and revealing history of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which have been essential for empowering Black citizens and for the ongoing fight for democracy in the US. From their founding, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) educated as many as 90 percent of Black college students in the United States. Although many are aware of the significance of HBCUs in expanding Black Americans' educational opportunities, much less attention has been paid to the vital role that they have played in enhancing American democracy. In The Power of Black Excellence, Deondra Rose provides an authoritative history of HBCUs and the unique role they have played in shaping American democracy since 1837. Drawing on over six years of deep research, Rose brings into view the historic impact that government support for HBCUs has had on the American political landscape, arguing that they have been essential for not only empowering Black citizens but also reshaping the distribution of political power in the United States. Rose challenges the conventional wisdom that, prior to the late twentieth century, the federal government took a laissez-faire approach to education. Instead, governmental action contributed to the expansion of HBCUs in an era plagued by racist policies and laws. Today, HBCUs remain extremely important, as evidenced by the outsized number of black political leaders--including Kamala Harris--who attended them. Rose stresses that policymakers promote democracy itself when they support HBCUs and their unique approach to postsecondary education, which includes a commitment to helping students develop politically empowering skills, promoting political leadership, and fostering a commitment to service. A fresh look into the relationship between education and democracy, The Power of Black Excellence is essential reading for anyone interested not just in HBCUs, but the broader trajectory of Black citizenship in American history.
The Right of the People
by
NATIONAL BESTSELLER . A bold case for reimagining the American project and making American democracy real-from a formidable new voice in political journalism "The first thing I've read that provides a rigorous vision of how to refound this nation if we manage to survive the current threats to these core values."-Chris Hayes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sirens' Call Frustrated with our political dysfunction, wearied by the thinness of contemporary political discourse, and troubled by the rise of anti-democratic attitudes across the political spectrum, journalist Osita Nwanevu has spent the Trump era examining the very meaning of democracy in search of answers to questions many have asked in the wake of the 2024 election- Are our institutions fundamentally broken? How can a country so divided govern itself? Does democracy even work as well as we believe? The Right of the People offers us challenging answers- while democracy remains vital, American democracy is an illusion we must make real by transforming not only our political institutions but the American economy. In a text that spans democratic theory, the American Founding, our aging political system, and the dizzying inequalities of our new Gilded Age, Nwanevu makes a visionary case for a political and economic agenda to fulfill the promise of American democracy and revive faith in the American project. "Nearly two hundred fifty years ago, the men who founded America made a fundamental break not just from their old country but from the past-casting off an order that had subjugated them with worn and weak ideas for the promise of true self-governance and greater prosperity in a new republic," Nwanevu writes. "With exactly their sense of purpose and even higher, more righteous ambitions for America than they themselves had, we should do the same now⁠-work as hard as we can in the decades ahead to 'institute new Government' for the benefit of all and not just the few."
The Second Emancipation
by
The Second Emancipation, the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa's pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild's contention that French is a "modern-day Copernicus." The title--referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom--positions this liberation at the center of a "movement of global Blackness," with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), at its head. That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is "typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa's enormous role in the birth of the modern world." Determined to re-create Nkrumah's life as "an epic twentieth-century story," The Second Emancipation begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana's Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French's consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah's early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu--including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him "one of the greatest political leaders of our century"--and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947. Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana's first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah's radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power. In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, The Second Emancipation becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history.
Secret Wars
by
Gordon Thomas has established himself as a leading expert on the intelligence community. He returns here on the one hundredth anniversaries of Britain's Security and Secret Intelligence Services to provide the definitive history of the famed MI5 and MI6.These agencies rank as two of the oldest and most powerful in the world, and Thomas's wide-sweeping history chronicles a century of both triumphs and failures. He recounts the roles that British intelligence played in the Allied victory in World War II; the postwar treachery of Great Britain's own agents; the defection of Soviet agents and the intricate process of "handling" them; the often frigid relationship that both agencies have had with the CIA, European spy services, and the Mossad; the cooperation between the British and Americans in the search for Osama bin Laden; and the ways in which MI5 and MI6 have fought biological warfare espionage and space terrorism.All told, this is the story of two agencies led by men - and women - who are enigmatic, eccentric, and controversial, and who ruthlessly control their spies. Based on prodigious research and interviews with significant players from inside the British intelligence community, this is a rich and even delicious history packed with intrigue and information that only the author could have attained.Â
The Social Biome
by
A deep dive into the importance of daily communication and how we can harness its power to create a better life We spend much of our waking lives communicating with others. How does each moment of interaction shape not only our relationships but also our worldviews? And how can we create moments of connection that improve our health and well-being, particularly in a world in which people are feeling increasingly isolated? Drawing from their extensive research, Andy J. Merolla and Jeffrey A. Hall establish a new way to think about our relational life: as existing within "social biomes"--complex ecosystems of moments of interaction with others. Each interaction we have, no matter how unimportant or mundane it might seem, is a building block of our identities and beliefs. Consequently, the choices we make about how we interact and who we interact with--and whether we interact at all--matter more than we might know. Merolla and Hall offer a sympathetic, practical guide to our vital yet complicated social lives and propose realistic ways to embrace and enhance connection and hope.
Stories from Saddle Mountain
by
Named a 2023 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Stories from Saddle Mountain recounts family stories that connected the Tongkeamhas, a Kiowa family, to the Saddle Mountain community for more than a century. Henrietta Apayyat (1912-93) grew up and married near Saddle Mountain, where she and her husband raised five sons and five daughters. She began penning her memoirs in 1968, including accounts about a Peyote meeting, revivals and Christmas encampments at Saddle Mountain Church, subsistence activities, and attending boarding schools and public schools. When not in school, Henrietta spent much of her childhood and adolescence close to home, working and occasionally traveling to neighboring towns with her grandparents, whereas her son Raymond Tongkeamha left frequently and wandered farther. Both experienced the transformation from having no indoor plumbing or electricity to having radios, televisions, and JCPenney. Together, their autobiographies illuminate dynamic changes and steadfast traditions in twentieth-century Kiowa life in the Saddle Mountain countryside.
Taking Manhattan
by
One of Literary Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 The author of The Island at the Center of the World offers up a thrilling narrative of how New York--that brash, bold, archetypal city--came to be. In 1664, England decided to invade the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York, had dreams of empire, and their archrivals, the Dutch, were in the way. But Richard Nicolls, the military officer who led the English flotilla bent on destruction, changed his strategy once he encountered Peter Stuyvesant, New Netherland's canny director general. Bristling with vibrant characters, Taking Manhattan reveals the founding of New York to be an invention, the result of creative negotiations that would blend the multiethnic, capitalistic society of New Amsterdam with the power of the rising English empire. But the birth of what might be termed the first modern city is also a story of the brutal dispossession of Native Americans and of the roots of American slavery. The book draws from newly translated materials and illuminates neglected histories--of religious refugees, Indigenous tribes, and free and enslaved Africans. Taking Manhattan tells the riveting story of the birth of New York City as a center of capitalism and pluralism, a foundation from which America would rise. It also shows how the paradox of New York's origins--boundless opportunity coupled with subjugation and displacement--reflects America's promise and failure to this day. Russell Shorto, whose work has been described as "astonishing" (New York Times) and "literary alchemy" (Chicago Tribune), has once again mined archival sources to offer a vibrant tale and a fresh and trenchant argument about American beginnings.
These Memories Do Not Belong to Us
by
"Ma's brilliantly inventive These Memories Do Not Belong to Us weaves worlds around a central question: What happens when technology enables a totalitarian government to break into the last private frontiers of the internal mind? Chilling, poignant, and uncomfortably timely, Ma's braided memory dispatches explore a future in which the shifting concepts of safety, loyalty, and truth lead nowhere except condemnation." -- Tessa Hulls, author of Pulitzer Prize-winner Feeding Ghosts For fans of Cloud Atlas and The Power, a hauntingly beautiful and prescient debut set in a future where a renamed China is the sole global superpower. When I was a boy, my mother used to tell me stories of a world before memories could be shared between strangers... In a far-off future ruled by the Qin Empire, every citizen is fitted with a Mindbank, an intracranial device capable of recording and transmitting memories between minds. This technology gives birth to Memory Capitalism, where anyone with means can relive the life experiences of others. It also unleashes opportunities for manipulation: memories can be edited, marketed, and even corrupted for personal gain. After the sudden passing of his mother, an unnamed narrator inherits a collection of banned memories from her Mindbank so dangerous that even possessing them places his freedom in jeopardy. Traversing genres, empires, and millennia, they are tales of sumo wrestlers and social activists and armless swimmers and watchmakers, struggling amid the backdrop of Qin's ascent toward global dominance. Determined to release his mother's memories to the world before they are destroyed forever, the narrator will risk everything--even if the cost is his own life. Powerful and provocative, These Memories Do Not Belong to Us masterfully explores how governments and media manipulate history to control the collective imagination. It forces us to see beyond the sheen of convenient truths and to unearth real stories of sacrifice and love that refuse to be eradicated.
Umma
by
New York Times bestseller Learn Korean cooking alongside social media star Sarah Ahn as her umma passes down 100+ family recipes and decades' worth of kitchen wisdom. Sarah Ahn's viral food videos of her and her mom have captivated millions of viewers with their behind-the-scenes look at Korean cooking and multigenerational home life. This collaboration is now a must-have cookbook blending the emotional intimacy of Crying in H Mart with practical culinary advice from Nam Soon's lifetime of kitchen experience. The recipes are framed by mother-daughter conversations that are funny, profound, and universally relatable-plus all the food is backed by the recipe-testing power of America's Test Kitchen. Thorough ingredient guide- Walk through a Korean grocery store with a Korean umma for in-depth guidance on what pantry ingredients and fresh produce and protein to buy. Recipes both traditional and contemporary- Learn to make everything from simple banchan, a variety of kimchi, and foundational stews to an assortment of yasik (midnight snacks) and inventive desserts. Kitchen wisdom from mother to daughter- Shared confidences open a window onto a level of family intimacy rarely seen in cookbooks. The Ahns understand that when generations come together in the kitchen, so much is shared- not only food, but also knowledge, advice, family history, and love.
The Unicorn Woman
by
FINALIST FOR THE 2025 PULITZER PRIZE IN FICTION "One of our greatest living authors."--Lauren LeBlanc, The Boston Globe Marking a dramatic new direction for Jones, a riveting tale set in the Post WWII South, narrated by a Black soldier who returns to Jim Crow and searches for a mythical ideal Set in the early 1950s, this latest novel from Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Gayl Jones follows the witty but perplexing army veteran Buddy Ray Guy as he embodies the fate of Black soldiers who return, not in glory, but into their Jim Crow communities. A cook and tractor repairman, Buddy was known as Budweiser to his army pals because he's a wise guy. But underneath that surface, he is a true self-educated intellectual and a classic seeker: looking for religion, looking for meaning, looking for love. As he moves around the south, from his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, primarily, to his second home of Memphis, Tennessee, he recalls his love affairs in post-war France and encounters with a variety of colorful characters and mythical prototypes: circus barkers, topiary trimmers, landladies who provide shelter and plenty of advice for their all-Black clientele, proto feminists, and bigots. The lead among these characters is, of course, The Unicorn Woman, who exists, but mostly lives in Bud's private mythology. Jones offers a rich, intriguing exploration of Black (and Indigenous) people in a time and place of frustration, disappointment, and spiritual hope.
The War of Art
by
How artists have changed America through direct action Artists in America have long battled against injustices, believing that art can in fact "do more." The War of Art tells this history of artist-led activism and the global political and aesthetic debates of the 1960s to the present. In contrast to the financialized art market and celebrity artists, the book explores the power of collective effort -- from protesting to philanthropy, and from wheat pasting to planting a field of wheat. Lauren O'Neill-Butler charts the post-war development of artists' protest and connects these struggles to a long tradition of feminism and civil rights activism. The book offers portraits of the key individuals and groups of artists who have campaigned for solidarity, housing, LGBTQ+, HIV/AIDS awareness, and against Indigenous injustice and the exclusion of women in the art world. This includes: the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition (BECC), Women Artists in Revolution (WAR), David Wojnarowicz's work with ACT UP, Top Value Television (TVTV), Agnes Denes, Edgar Heap of Birds, Dyke Action Machine! (DAM!), fierce pussy, Project Row Houses, and Nan Goldin's Prescription Addiction Intervention Now (PAIN). Based upon in-depth oral histories with the key figures in these movements, and illustrated throughout, The War of Art is an essential corrective to the idea that art history excludes politics.
The Wars of the Lord
by
The epic, tragic story of the Puritan conquest of New England through the eyes of those who lived it Over several decades beginning in 1620, tens of thousands of devout English colonists known as Puritans came to America. They believed that bringing Christianity to the natives would liberate them from darkness. Daniel Gookin, Massachusetts's missionary superintendent, called such efforts a "war of the Lord," a war in which Christ would deliver captive souls from Satan's bondage. When Puritan soldiers slaughtered hundreds of indigenous men, women, and children at Fort Mystic in 1637, during the Pequot War, they believed they were doing God's will. The same was true during King Philip's War, perhaps the bloodiest war in American history. The Puritan clergyman Increase Mather described this conflict, too, as a "war of the Lord," a war in which God was judging the enemies of his people. Matthew J. Tuininga argues that these two "wars" are inextricably linked. Puritan Christianity, he shows, shaped both the spiritual and military conquests of New England from beginning to end. It is not only that the people who did these things happened to be Christians; it is that Christianity was the framework they used to guide, interpret, and defend every major act of peace or war. They made sincere efforts to treat Natives according to Christian principles of love and justice as they understood them, and their sustained missionary efforts demonstrate how serious they were about saving native souls. Yet they appealed to Christianity just as confidently when they subjugated, enslaved, or killed native peoples in the name of justice. A mission they saw as spiritual, peaceful, benevolent, and just devolved into a military conquest that was virtually genocidal. This book tells the story of how this happened from the perspective of those who lived it, both colonists and Native Americans.
We Are Eating the Earth
by
From the author of New York Times bestseller The New New Deal, a groundbreaking piece of reportage from the trenches of the next climate war: the fight to fix our food system. Humanity has cleared a land mass the size of Asia plus Europe to grow food, and our food system generates a third of our carbon emissions. By 2050, we're going to need a lot more calories to fill nearly 10 billion bellies, but we can't feed the world without frying it if we keep tearing down an acre of rainforest every six seconds. We are eating the earth, and the greatest challenge facing our species will be to slow our relentless expansion of farmland into nature. Even if we quit fossil fuels, we'll keep hurtling towards climate chaos if we don't solve our food and land problems. In this rollicking, shocking narrative, Grunwald shows how the world, after decades of ignoring the climate problem at the center of our plates, has pivoted to making it worse, embracing solutions that sound sustainable but could make it even harder to grow more food with less land. But he also tells the stories of the dynamic scientists and entrepreneurs pursuing real solutions, from a jungle-tough miracle crop called pongamia to genetically-edited cattle embryos, from Impossible Whoppers to a non-polluting pesticide that uses the technology behind the COVID vaccines to constipate beetles to death. It's an often infuriating saga of lobbyists, politicians, and even the scientific establishment making terrible choices for humanity, but it's also a hopeful account of the people figuring out what needs to be done--and trying to do it. Michael Grunwald, bestselling author of The Swamp and The New New Deal, builds his narrative around a brilliant, relentless, unforgettable food and land expert named Tim Searchinger. He chronicles Searchinger's uphill battles against bad science and bad politics, both driven by the overwhelming influence of agricultural interests. And he illuminates a path that could save our planetary home for ourselves and future generations--through better policy, technology, and behavior, as well as a new land ethic recognizing that every acre matters.
We Are Home
by
From a veteran broadcaster and historian comes a richly reported portrait of the newest Americans, immigrants from all over the globe who are living all across the country, filled with their own voices. We are a nation of immigrants, never more than now. In recent decades, the numbers have skyrocketed, thanks to people coming from many continents--especially Asia, Africa, and South America. Just like their predecessors, they face countless obstacles, including political hatred. And yet, just like their predecessors, they work hard. They persist. And they become us. The newest Americans are poorly understood and frequently presented only in stereotypes. Veteran journalist, broadcaster, and interviewer Ray Suarez has criss-crossed the country to speak to new Americans from all corners of the globe, and to record their stories. This portrait of our newest citizens is full of their own, compelling voices. It's a story as old as the country, yet each new wave of arrivals tells that classic story in new and crucially important ways.
Wild Dark Shore
by
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR 2025 An ENTHRALLING new novel from the NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves "A WILDLY TALENTED writer." ―Emily St. John Mandel "SPELLBINDING...Exceptionally imagined, thoroughly humane." --Washington Post "Abounds with EVOCATIVE nature writing." --The New York Times Book Review A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon. Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world's largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore. Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again. But Rowan isn't telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it's too late--and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together. A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.
Wild Thing
by
Paul Gauguin's legend as a transgressive genius arises as much from his biography as his aesthetically daring Polynesian paintings. Gauguin is chiefly known for his pictures that eschewed convention, to celebrate the beauty of an indigenous people and their culture. In this gorgeously illustrated, myth-busting work, Sue Prideaux reveals that while Gauguin was a complicated man, his scandalous reputation is largely undeserved. Self-taught, Gauguin became a towering artist in his brief life, not just in painting but in ceramics and graphics. He fled the bustle of Paris for the beauty of Tahiti, where he lived simply and worked consistently to expose the tragic results of French Colonialism. Gauguin fought for the rights of Indigenous people, exposing French injustices and corruption in the local newspaper and acting as advocate for the Tahitian people in the French colonial courts. His unconventional career and bold, breathtaking art influenced not only Vincent van Gogh, but Matisse and Picasso. Wild Thing upends much of what we thought we knew about Gauguin through new primary research, including the resurfaced manuscript of Gauguin's most important writing, the untranslated memoir of Gauguin's son, and a sample of Gauguin's teeth that disproves the pernicious myth of his syphilis. In the first full biography of Paul Gauguin in thirty years, Sue Prideaux illuminates the extraordinary oeuvre of a visionary artist vital to the French avant-garde. The result is "a brilliantly readable and compassionate study of Gauguin--not just as a painter, sculptor, carver and potter, but as a human soul perpetually searching for what is always just out of reach" (Artemis Cooper, Spectator).
Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance
by
Long before The Brothers Grimm, there was a sisterhood of writers who defied the patriarchy and launched a literary craze with their feminist fairy tales--these are their stories. In 17th century Paris, a group of women who called themselves conteuses (female storytellers) came together to weave the very first fairy tales. One of them, Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, coined the term 'fairy tale,' and some of these stories contain many familiar elements that appear in tales like Rapunzel and Beauty and the Beast. Unfortunately, these women and their tales have mostly been forgotten to history. Women of the Fairytale Resistance uncovers seven of these writer's biographies--which are just as compelling as their fairy tales--and retells 12 of their original stories. The women were mostly young noblewomen who were forced into undesirable marriages and did not have the freedom to give their opinions, travel, or choose who they wanted to love. They used their stories as a way of subtly complaining about their husbands and critiquing the oppressive reign of King Louis XIV. The female-empowering, gender-bending tales combine themes like romance, fantasy, escapism, and their protagonists control of their own destiny--something the writers deeply desired in their own lives. Enchantingly designed with stunning full color illustrations throughout, this unique and entertaining book will have you rethink everything you know about traditional fairy tales.
The World According to China
by
An economic and military superpower with 20 percent of the world's population, China has the wherewithal to transform the international system. Xi Jinping's bold calls for China to lead in the reform of the global governance system, suggest that he has just such an ambition. And his iron grip on power in the wake of the 2022 Party Congress suggests that he now has the mandate. But how does he plan to realize it? And what does it mean for the rest of the world? In this compelling book, Elizabeth Economy reveals China's ambitious new strategy to reclaim the country's past glory and reshape the geostrategic landscape in dramatic new ways. Xi's vision is one of Chinese centrality on the global stage, in which the mainland has realized its sovereignty claims over Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China sea, deepened its global political, economic, and security reach through its grand scale Belt and Road Initiative, and used its leadership in the United Nations and other institutions to align international norms and values, particularly around human rights, with those of China. It is a world radically different from that of today. The international community needs to understand and respond to the great risks and and potential opportunities of presented by this transformative vision. Also available as an audiobook.
