Joe Meno brings a novelist's eye to the true story of two young men from Ghana and their journey from the unjust political system of their homeland through the chaos of the United States' failing immigration system Long before their chance meeting at a Minneapolis bus station, Ghanaian asylum seekers Seidu Mohammed and Razak Iyal had already crossed half the world in search of a new home. Seidu, who identifies as bisexual, lived under constant threat of exposure and violence in a country where same-sex acts are illegal. Razak's life was also threatened after corrupt officials contrived to steal his rightful inheritance. Forced to flee their homeland, both men embarked on separate odysseys through the dangerous jungles and bureaucracies of South, Central, and North America.
Counterpoint
|
9781640093140
|
Hardcover
Strength in Numbers
By Morris, G Elliott
An insightful exploration of political polling and a bold defense of its crucial role in a modern democracy.Public opinion polling is the ultimate democratic process; it gives every person an equal voice in letting elected leaders know what they need and want. But in the eyes of the public, polls today are tarnished. Recent election forecasts have routinely missed the mark and media coverage of polls has focused solely on their ability to predict winners and losers. Polls deserve better.In Strength in Numbers, data journalist G. Elliott Morris argues that the larger purpose of political polls is to improve democracy, not just predict elections. Whether used by interest groups, the press, or politicians, polling serves as a pipeline from the governed to the government, giving citizens influence they would otherwise lack.
W. W. Norton & Company
|
9780393866971
|
Hardcover
Polarization
By Mccarty, Nolan
The 2016 election of Donald J. Trump invoked a time for reflection about the state of American politics and its deep ideological, cultural, racial, regional, and economic divisions. But one aspect that the contemporary discussions often miss is that these fissures have been opening over several decades and are deeply rooted in the structure of American politics and society. In Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know Nolan McCarty takes readers through what scholars know and don't know about the origins, development, and implications of our rising political conflicts, delving into social, economic, and geographic determinants of polarization in the United States. While the current political climate seems to suggest that extreme views are becoming more popular, McCarty also argues that, contrary to popular belief, the 2016 election was a natural outgrowth of 40 years of polarized politics, rather than a significant break with the past.
Oxford University Press
|
9780190867782
|
Hardcover
Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again
By Angel, Katherine
Women are in a bind. They are told that in the name of sexual consent and feminist empowerment, they must proclaim their desires clearly and confidently. Sex researchers tell us that women don't know what they want. And men are on hand to persuade women that what they want is, in fact, exactly what men want. In this environment, how can women possibly know what they want - and how can they be expected to? In this elegantly written, searching book Katherine Angel surveys medical and psychoanalytic understandings of female desire, from Freud to Kinsey to present-day science; MeToo-era debates over consent, assault, and feminism; and popular culture, TV, and film to challenge our assumptions about female desire. Why, she asks, do we expect desire to be easily understood? Why is there not space for the unsure, the tentative, the maybe, the let's just see? In contrast to the endless exhortation to know what we want, Angel proposes that sex can be a conversation, requiring insight, interaction, and mutual vulnerability - a shared collaboration into the unknown.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781788739160
|
Hardcover
Beyond the Messy Truth
By Jones, Van
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A passionate manifesto that exposes hypocrisy on both sides of the political divide and points a way out of the tribalism that is tearing America apart - from the CNN host hailed as "a star of the 2016 campaign" (The New York Times) , now seen on The Van Jones ShowVan Jones burst into the American consciousness during the 2016 presidential campaign with an unscripted, truth-telling style and an already established history of bridge-building across party lines. His election night commentary, during which he coined the term "whitelash," became a viral sensation. A longtime progressive activist with deep roots in the conservative South, Jones has made it his mission to challenge voters and viewers to stand in one another's shoes and disagree constructively.In Beyond the Messy Truth, he offers a blueprint for transforming our collective anxiety into meaningful change. Jones urges both parties to abandon the politics of accusation. He issues a stirring call for a new "bipartisanship from below," pointing us toward practical answers to problems that affect us all regardless of region or ideology. He wants to tackle rural and inner-city poverty, unemployment, addiction, unfair incarceration, and the devastating effects of the pollution-based economy on both coal country and our urban centers. Along the way, Jones shares memories from his decades of activism on behalf of working people, inspiring stories of ordinary citizens who became champions of their communities, and little-known examples of cooperation in the midst of partisan conflict. In his quest for positive solutions, Van Jones encourages us to set fire to our old ways of thinking about politics and come together to help those most in need.Includes an invaluable resource of contacts, books, media, and organizations for bipartisan bridge-building and problem solving."Van Jones is a light in the darkness when we need it most. In the tradition of the great bridge builders of our past, Van's love for this country and all its people shines through." - Cory Booker, U.S. senator, New Jersey "Van Jones's voice has become an integral part of our national political debate. He is one of the most provocative and interesting political figures in the country." - Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator, Vermont
Ballantine Books
|
9780399180026
|
Hardcover
Sacred Duty
By Cotton, Tom
From U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, an intimate and inspiring portrait of Arlington National Cemetery's Old Guard, the official ceremonial unit of the U.S. Army and Americas oldest infantry unit, dating to 1784: part history of the Old Guard, part memoir of Senator Cotton's time as a platoon leader in the unit, part meditation on service, tradition, and patriotism.It is the most sacred square mile in America. A city of the dead - more than 400,000 inhabitants and growing with each passing week. On 624 sloping acres, across a river from the nation's capital, lie generations of heroes in a place called Arlington. The hallowed grounds contain presidents and privates, some of the most famous names in military and political history - Supreme Court justices, five-star generals, and war heroes - as well as liberated slaves, and the bodies of soldiers known only to God.For sixteen months, in between combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Tom Cotton, United States Senator from Arkansas, served as a platoon leader for the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment at Arlington. Known as "The Old Guard," these soldiers perform military-honor funerals for our fallen and welcome presidents and kings to our nation's capital, putting in countless hours behind the scenes in their quest for perfection to honor. Membership in The Old Guard is a high honor for a U.S. soldier, and its soldiers serve to remind Americans that tradition, integrity, and patriotism still matter.Sacred Duty is both a history of the 3rd Infantry Regiment - the oldest active-duty regiment in the Army - and a personal reflection on honor, ritual, and service, from one of our most respected public figures. It is also a meditation on the value of service to one's country - and on those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.Includes approximately 25 photos.
William Morrow
|
9780062863157
|
Hardcover
American Conservatism
By J., Bacevich, Andrew
LIB OF AMER
|
9781598536560
|
The Best Presidential Writing
By Fehrman, Craig
.From the early years of our nation's history, when George Washington wrote his humble yet powerful Farewell Address, to our current age, when Barack Obama delivered his moving speech on the fiftieth anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, America's presidents have upheld a tradition of exceptional writing. Now, for the first time, the greatest presidential writings in history are united in one monumental treasury: the very best campaign orations, early autobiographies, presidential speeches, post-presidential reflections, and much more. In these pages, we see not only the words that shaped our nation, like Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy speech, but also the words of young politicians claiming their place in our history, including excerpts from Woodrow Wilson's Congressional Government and Obama's Dreams from My Father, and the words of mature leaders reflecting on their legacies, including Harry S.
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
|
9781476788531
|
Hardcover
Raising Them Right
By Spencer, Kyle
A riveting behind-the-scenes account of the new stars of the far right - Charlie Kirk, Candace Owens and Cliff Maloney - and how they've partnered with billionaire donors, idealogues, and political insiders to build the most powerful youth movement the American right has ever seen In the wake of the Obama presidency, a group of young charismatic conservatives catapulted onto the American political and cultural scenes, eager to thwart nationwide pushes for greater equity and inclusion. They dreamed of a cultural revolution - online and off - that would offer a forceful alternative to the progressive politics that were dominating American college campuses. In Raising Them Right, a gripping, character-driven read and investigative tour de force, Kyle Spencer chronicles the people and organizations working to lure millions of unsuspecting young American voters into the far-right fold - revealing their highly successful efforts to harness social media in alarming ways and capitalize on the democratization of celebrity culture.
Ecco
|
9780063041363
|
Hardcover
Reagan
By Spitz, Bob
From New York Times bestselling biographer Bob Spitz, a full and rich biography of an epic American life, capturing what made Ronald Reagan both so beloved and so transformational.More than five years in the making, based on hundreds of interviews and access to previously unavailable documents, and infused with irresistible storytelling charm, Bob Spitz's REAGAN stands fair to be the first truly post-partisan biography of our 40th President, and thus a balm for our own bitterly divided times.It is the quintessential American triumph, brought to life with cinematic vividness: a young man is born into poverty and raised in a series of flyspeck towns in the Midwest by a pious mother and a reckless, alcoholic, largely absent father. Severely near-sighted, the boy lives in his own world, a world of the popular books of the day, and finds his first brush with popularity, even fame, as a young lifeguard. Thanks to his first great love, he imagines a way out, and makes the extraordinary leap to go to college, a modest school by national standards, but an audacious presumption in the context of his family's station. From there, the path is only very dimly lit, but it leads him, thanks to his great charm and greater luck, to a solid career as a radio sportscaster, and then, astonishingly, fatefully, to Hollywood. And the rest, as they say, is history.Bob Spitz's REAGAN is an absorbing, richly detailed, even revelatory chronicle of the full arc of Ronald Reagan's epic life - giving full weight to the Hollywood years, his transition to politics and rocky but ultimately successful run as California governor, and ultimately, of course, his iconic presidency, filled with storm and stress but climaxing with his peace talks with the Soviet Union that would serve as his greatest legacy. It is filled with fresh assessments and shrewd judgments, and doesn't flinch from a full reckoning with the man's strengths and limitations. This is no hagiography: Reagan was never a brilliant student, of anything, and his disinterest in hard-nosed political scheming, while admirable, meant that this side of things was left to the other people in his orbit, not least his wife Nancy; sometimes this delegation could lead to chaos, and worse. But what emerges as a powerful signal through all the noise is an honest inherent sweetness, a gentleness of nature and willingness to see the good in people and in this country, that proved to be a tonic for America in his time, and still is in ours. It was famously said that FDR had a first-rate disposition and a second-rate intellect. Perhaps it is no accident that only FDR had as high a public approval rating leaving office as Reagan did, or that in the years since Reagan has been closing in on FDR on rankings of Presidential greatness. Written with love and irony, which in a great biography is arguably the same thing, Bob Spitz's masterpiece will give no comfort to partisans at either extreme; for the rest of us, it is cause for celebration.
Between Everything and Nothing
By Meno, Joe
Joe Meno brings a novelist's eye to the true story of two young men from Ghana and their journey from the unjust political system of their homeland through the chaos of the United States' failing immigration system Long before their chance meeting at a Minneapolis bus station, Ghanaian asylum seekers Seidu Mohammed and Razak Iyal had already crossed half the world in search of a new home. Seidu, who identifies as bisexual, lived under constant threat of exposure and violence in a country where same-sex acts are illegal. Razak's life was also threatened after corrupt officials contrived to steal his rightful inheritance. Forced to flee their homeland, both men embarked on separate odysseys through the dangerous jungles and bureaucracies of South, Central, and North America.
Strength in Numbers
By Morris, G Elliott
An insightful exploration of political polling and a bold defense of its crucial role in a modern democracy.Public opinion polling is the ultimate democratic process; it gives every person an equal voice in letting elected leaders know what they need and want. But in the eyes of the public, polls today are tarnished. Recent election forecasts have routinely missed the mark and media coverage of polls has focused solely on their ability to predict winners and losers. Polls deserve better.In Strength in Numbers, data journalist G. Elliott Morris argues that the larger purpose of political polls is to improve democracy, not just predict elections. Whether used by interest groups, the press, or politicians, polling serves as a pipeline from the governed to the government, giving citizens influence they would otherwise lack.
Polarization
By Mccarty, Nolan
The 2016 election of Donald J. Trump invoked a time for reflection about the state of American politics and its deep ideological, cultural, racial, regional, and economic divisions. But one aspect that the contemporary discussions often miss is that these fissures have been opening over several decades and are deeply rooted in the structure of American politics and society. In Polarization: What Everyone Needs to Know Nolan McCarty takes readers through what scholars know and don't know about the origins, development, and implications of our rising political conflicts, delving into social, economic, and geographic determinants of polarization in the United States. While the current political climate seems to suggest that extreme views are becoming more popular, McCarty also argues that, contrary to popular belief, the 2016 election was a natural outgrowth of 40 years of polarized politics, rather than a significant break with the past.
Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again
By Angel, Katherine
Women are in a bind. They are told that in the name of sexual consent and feminist empowerment, they must proclaim their desires clearly and confidently. Sex researchers tell us that women don't know what they want. And men are on hand to persuade women that what they want is, in fact, exactly what men want. In this environment, how can women possibly know what they want - and how can they be expected to? In this elegantly written, searching book Katherine Angel surveys medical and psychoanalytic understandings of female desire, from Freud to Kinsey to present-day science; MeToo-era debates over consent, assault, and feminism; and popular culture, TV, and film to challenge our assumptions about female desire. Why, she asks, do we expect desire to be easily understood? Why is there not space for the unsure, the tentative, the maybe, the let's just see? In contrast to the endless exhortation to know what we want, Angel proposes that sex can be a conversation, requiring insight, interaction, and mutual vulnerability - a shared collaboration into the unknown.
Beyond the Messy Truth
By Jones, Van
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A passionate manifesto that exposes hypocrisy on both sides of the political divide and points a way out of the tribalism that is tearing America apart - from the CNN host hailed as "a star of the 2016 campaign" (The New York Times) , now seen on The Van Jones ShowVan Jones burst into the American consciousness during the 2016 presidential campaign with an unscripted, truth-telling style and an already established history of bridge-building across party lines. His election night commentary, during which he coined the term "whitelash," became a viral sensation. A longtime progressive activist with deep roots in the conservative South, Jones has made it his mission to challenge voters and viewers to stand in one another's shoes and disagree constructively.In Beyond the Messy Truth, he offers a blueprint for transforming our collective anxiety into meaningful change. Jones urges both parties to abandon the politics of accusation. He issues a stirring call for a new "bipartisanship from below," pointing us toward practical answers to problems that affect us all regardless of region or ideology. He wants to tackle rural and inner-city poverty, unemployment, addiction, unfair incarceration, and the devastating effects of the pollution-based economy on both coal country and our urban centers. Along the way, Jones shares memories from his decades of activism on behalf of working people, inspiring stories of ordinary citizens who became champions of their communities, and little-known examples of cooperation in the midst of partisan conflict. In his quest for positive solutions, Van Jones encourages us to set fire to our old ways of thinking about politics and come together to help those most in need.Includes an invaluable resource of contacts, books, media, and organizations for bipartisan bridge-building and problem solving."Van Jones is a light in the darkness when we need it most. In the tradition of the great bridge builders of our past, Van's love for this country and all its people shines through." - Cory Booker, U.S. senator, New Jersey "Van Jones's voice has become an integral part of our national political debate. He is one of the most provocative and interesting political figures in the country." - Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator, Vermont
Sacred Duty
By Cotton, Tom
From U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, an intimate and inspiring portrait of Arlington National Cemetery's Old Guard, the official ceremonial unit of the U.S. Army and Americas oldest infantry unit, dating to 1784: part history of the Old Guard, part memoir of Senator Cotton's time as a platoon leader in the unit, part meditation on service, tradition, and patriotism.It is the most sacred square mile in America. A city of the dead - more than 400,000 inhabitants and growing with each passing week. On 624 sloping acres, across a river from the nation's capital, lie generations of heroes in a place called Arlington. The hallowed grounds contain presidents and privates, some of the most famous names in military and political history - Supreme Court justices, five-star generals, and war heroes - as well as liberated slaves, and the bodies of soldiers known only to God.For sixteen months, in between combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Tom Cotton, United States Senator from Arkansas, served as a platoon leader for the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment at Arlington. Known as "The Old Guard," these soldiers perform military-honor funerals for our fallen and welcome presidents and kings to our nation's capital, putting in countless hours behind the scenes in their quest for perfection to honor. Membership in The Old Guard is a high honor for a U.S. soldier, and its soldiers serve to remind Americans that tradition, integrity, and patriotism still matter.Sacred Duty is both a history of the 3rd Infantry Regiment - the oldest active-duty regiment in the Army - and a personal reflection on honor, ritual, and service, from one of our most respected public figures. It is also a meditation on the value of service to one's country - and on those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.Includes approximately 25 photos.
American Conservatism
By J., Bacevich, Andrew
The Best Presidential Writing
By Fehrman, Craig
.From the early years of our nation's history, when George Washington wrote his humble yet powerful Farewell Address, to our current age, when Barack Obama delivered his moving speech on the fiftieth anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, America's presidents have upheld a tradition of exceptional writing. Now, for the first time, the greatest presidential writings in history are united in one monumental treasury: the very best campaign orations, early autobiographies, presidential speeches, post-presidential reflections, and much more. In these pages, we see not only the words that shaped our nation, like Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy speech, but also the words of young politicians claiming their place in our history, including excerpts from Woodrow Wilson's Congressional Government and Obama's Dreams from My Father, and the words of mature leaders reflecting on their legacies, including Harry S.
Raising Them Right
By Spencer, Kyle
A riveting behind-the-scenes account of the new stars of the far right - Charlie Kirk, Candace Owens and Cliff Maloney - and how they've partnered with billionaire donors, idealogues, and political insiders to build the most powerful youth movement the American right has ever seen In the wake of the Obama presidency, a group of young charismatic conservatives catapulted onto the American political and cultural scenes, eager to thwart nationwide pushes for greater equity and inclusion. They dreamed of a cultural revolution - online and off - that would offer a forceful alternative to the progressive politics that were dominating American college campuses. In Raising Them Right, a gripping, character-driven read and investigative tour de force, Kyle Spencer chronicles the people and organizations working to lure millions of unsuspecting young American voters into the far-right fold - revealing their highly successful efforts to harness social media in alarming ways and capitalize on the democratization of celebrity culture.
Reagan
By Spitz, Bob
From New York Times bestselling biographer Bob Spitz, a full and rich biography of an epic American life, capturing what made Ronald Reagan both so beloved and so transformational.More than five years in the making, based on hundreds of interviews and access to previously unavailable documents, and infused with irresistible storytelling charm, Bob Spitz's REAGAN stands fair to be the first truly post-partisan biography of our 40th President, and thus a balm for our own bitterly divided times.It is the quintessential American triumph, brought to life with cinematic vividness: a young man is born into poverty and raised in a series of flyspeck towns in the Midwest by a pious mother and a reckless, alcoholic, largely absent father. Severely near-sighted, the boy lives in his own world, a world of the popular books of the day, and finds his first brush with popularity, even fame, as a young lifeguard. Thanks to his first great love, he imagines a way out, and makes the extraordinary leap to go to college, a modest school by national standards, but an audacious presumption in the context of his family's station. From there, the path is only very dimly lit, but it leads him, thanks to his great charm and greater luck, to a solid career as a radio sportscaster, and then, astonishingly, fatefully, to Hollywood. And the rest, as they say, is history.Bob Spitz's REAGAN is an absorbing, richly detailed, even revelatory chronicle of the full arc of Ronald Reagan's epic life - giving full weight to the Hollywood years, his transition to politics and rocky but ultimately successful run as California governor, and ultimately, of course, his iconic presidency, filled with storm and stress but climaxing with his peace talks with the Soviet Union that would serve as his greatest legacy. It is filled with fresh assessments and shrewd judgments, and doesn't flinch from a full reckoning with the man's strengths and limitations. This is no hagiography: Reagan was never a brilliant student, of anything, and his disinterest in hard-nosed political scheming, while admirable, meant that this side of things was left to the other people in his orbit, not least his wife Nancy; sometimes this delegation could lead to chaos, and worse. But what emerges as a powerful signal through all the noise is an honest inherent sweetness, a gentleness of nature and willingness to see the good in people and in this country, that proved to be a tonic for America in his time, and still is in ours. It was famously said that FDR had a first-rate disposition and a second-rate intellect. Perhaps it is no accident that only FDR had as high a public approval rating leaving office as Reagan did, or that in the years since Reagan has been closing in on FDR on rankings of Presidential greatness. Written with love and irony, which in a great biography is arguably the same thing, Bob Spitz's masterpiece will give no comfort to partisans at either extreme; for the rest of us, it is cause for celebration.