History of the Americas Books

Book SynopsisA smart, well-documented book about a group of people determined to hold the powerful toaccount.2021NPRBooks We LoveJournalism at its best.2022Southwest Books of the Year:Top PickA 2021 Immigration Book of the Year, Immigration Prof Blog Investigative Reporters & Editors Book Award Finalist 2021How Latino activists brought down powerful Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio. Journalists Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Block spent years chronicling the human consequences of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's relentless immigration enforcement in Maricopa County,Arizona. In Driving While Brown, they tell the tale of two opposing movements that redefined Arizona's political landscapethe restrictionist cause advanced by Arpaio and the Latino-led resistance that rose up against it. The story follows Arpaio,his supporters,and his adversaries,including Lydia Guzman,who gathered evidence for a racial-profiling lawsuit that took surprising turns. Guzman joined a coalition determined to stop Arpaio, reform uncoTrade Review"A work of exemplary reporting." * Kirkus Reviews *"An ‘I-can’t-put-it-down’ book. Even as one who has followed the career of Arpaio for over 25 years, I found it fascinating to learn in detail of the grass-roots movement that arose in opposition to his policies. . . . The authors don’t just relate events, they tell the stories of some of the most noteworthy players in this drama. We get a sense of their humanity, their conflicts, and their struggles. This makes the book not only a definitive treatment of the Arpaio phenomenon, but also a highly readable, gripping story." * KTAR/Think Tank with Mike ONeil * "Meticulously reported. . . . A story of hope, however tentative." * Arizona Republic *"As engaging as it is enraging. . . . Greene Sterling and Joffe-Block do a superb job. . . . Driving While Brown [is] a necessary read that is more than a biography of a blowhard sheriff — it is a chronicle of how seemingly impossible battles are the ones that matter most." * Los Angeles Review of Books *"In their new book, journalists Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Block tell the story of the Latinx activists who brought about his downfall – it’s a smart, well-documented book about a group of people determined to hold the powerful to account." * NPR Books/ “Books We Love” *"Immigration Book of the Year" * Immigration Prof Blog *"A comprehensive, readable, and compelling explanation of how a sheriff’s department can veer into illegal activities. . . .An excellent book that shows the resilience of a marginalized community organizing and standing up for its rights." * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *"The authors are journalists and their work is rich in detail. . . . This is an excellent book that shows the resilience of a marginalized community organizing and standing up for its rights." * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *Table of ContentsPreface Authors' Note List of Selected People in This Book Maps Prologue: Lydia and the Sheriff (2017) Part I Origins (1848–2006) 1 An Immigrant's Son (1923–1993) 2 The Valley Girl (1967–1997) 3 What Made Arizona Chicanos (1848–1983) 4 Restrictionism Takes Root (2003–2005) 5 Arpaio Transformed (2005–2006) Part II Battles (2006–2016) 6 The Movement Rises Up (2006) 7 Hopes and Letdowns (2006–2007) 8 Cave Creek (2007) 9 Tensions at a Phoenix Furniture Store (2007) 10 Mayonnaise Tacos and Easter Baskets (2008) 11 Payback (2008–2009) 12 Drowning in a Glass of Water (2010) 13 Licking Their Chops (2009–2012) 14 Driving While Brown (2012) 15 Why Are You Trembling? (2012–2013) 16 "Ganamos!" (2013–2014) 17 Conspiracy Theories and Videos (2013–2015) 18 "Build the Wall!" (2015–2016) 19 Bazta Arpaio (2016) Part III Changes (2016–2019) 20 The National Arpaio (2016–2017) 21 The Rescue (2017) 265 22 I Don’t Want It to Come Back (2017–2019) Afterword (2020 and Beyond) Acknowledgments Appendix I. Selected Arizona Immigration Laws Appendix II. Selected Federal Lawsuits On Sources Notes List of Author Interviews Bibliography of Unpublished Sources Index

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Book SynopsisA fully illustrated A-Z reference on the legends of the American continents, with 900 entries.

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Book SynopsisAre ''Dear John'' letters lethal weapons in the hands of men at war? Many US officers, servicemen, veterans, and civilians would say yes. Drawing on personal letters, oral histories, and psychiatric reports, as well as popular music and movies, Susan L. Carruthers shows how the armed forces and civilian society have attempted to weaponize romantic love in pursuit of martial ends, from World War II to today. Yet efforts to discipline feeling have frequently failed. And women have often borne the blame. This sweeping history of emotional life in wartime explores the interplay between letter-writing and storytelling, breakups and breakdowns, and between imploded intimacy and boosted camaraderie. Incorporating vivid personal experiences in lively and engaging prose variously tragic, comic, and everything in between this compelling study will change the way we think about wartime relationships.Trade Review'Susan L. Carruthers is an eloquent storyteller. She exposes not only the poignancy of love in times of war, but also how perceptions of girlfriends and wives as 'flight risks' become powerful stimuli to male solidarity. A captivating history.' Joanna Bourke, author of War and Art: A Visual History of Modern Conflict'This fast-moving journey through a century of soldiers' heartbreak and rage at being dumped by their sweethearts reveals the psychological distance between the home front and the war theater, but even more tellingly illuminates the eternal war between men and women.' Nancy F. Cott, author of Fighting Words: The Brave American Journalists Who Brought the World Home between the Wars'Whether distraught, amused, or enraged, jilted GIs have long bonded as victims of betrayal. Susan L. Carruthers's marvellously written new book not only explores the origin and evolution of the 'Dear John' letter, but illuminates the misogyny that often underlies this military brotherhood, the alleged correlation with suicide, and the impact on the writers of these infamous epistles.' Brian McAllister Linn, author of Elvis's Army: Cold War GIs and the Atomic Battlefield'Dear John is, dare I say, a pleasure to read, in addition to being incisive regarding the gendering and biases built around the mythopoeia of the epistolary breakup. Carruthers's multidimensional interrogation of the wartime brushoff encompasses fictions, reality, sexual orientation, POWs, social media, and all manner of telling the loved one So long, see you never. This learned and relevant treatment is a unique and deeply researched addition to the literature of broken hearts.' Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles'… an eye-opening study of wartime romances and breakups.' Publishers Weekly'Carruthers makes a convincing case that the Dear John letter has helped make women, not war, the culprit for love's breakdown under pressure.' Charlotte Gray, The Wall Street Journal'Her account offers insights into a broader entanglement, involving the militarism that shores up modern nationhood; the emotional and sexual ties that sustain and can destroy men in the military; and the women on whom male soldiers have poured hatred as well as adoration.' Julia Laite, London Review of BooksTable of ContentsIntroduction: Picking up the pieces; 1. The marital and the martial; 2. Rules of engagement, or 'write right!'; 3. Technologies of proximity; 4. 'That's all she wrote': Telling Dear John stories; 5. 'The modern Penelope': Aanalyzing the waiting wife; 6. Emotional injury: Causes and consequences; 7. Severed ties and suicide; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThe assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy is one of the milestones of history. Everyone, it is said, remembers where they were when they heard the news. Because the official investigation, the Warren Commission, set up by Kennedy's successor in the White House, Lyndon Johnson, was such a whitewashing travesty of justice, the world has felt itself free to speculate ever more wildly about what really happened in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, in November 1963. The killer, said the Warren Commission, was the peculiar loner, Lee Harvey Oswald, and he acted alone. Evidence, science and common sense have long ago proved that this was not possible. So it was the Russians. It was the Cubans. It was the Mafia. It was Lyndon Johnson. It was the Secret Service. It was the FBI. It was the CIA. It was that murky conspiratorial bunch, the Military-Industrial Complex. This book evaluates all the above and comes to another conclusion entirely. The reason that we are still arguing about who was responsib

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Book SynopsisAn “exciting and enlightening revisionist history” (Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author) that upends the myth of the 1950s as a decade of conformity and celebrates a few solitary, brave, and stubborn individuals who pioneered the radical gay rights, feminist, civil rights, and environmental movements, from historian James R. Gaines. An “enchanting, beautifully written book about heroes and the dark times to which they refused to surrender” (Todd Gitlin, bestselling author of The Sixties). In a series of character portraits, The Fifties invokes the accidental radicals—people motivated not by politics but by their own most intimate conflicts—who sparked movements for change in their time and our own. Among many others, we meet legal pathfinder Pauli Murray, who was tortured by both her mixed-race heritage and her “in between” sexuality. Through years of hard work and self-examination, shTrade Review"Values we take for granted can seem obvious when we encounter them in historical figures, but Gaines makes the price of righteousness clear—these men and women...faced down brutal violence and ostracism both personal and professional....[T]heir brilliance, their originality, their relentless courage created us.” —The New York Times "An inspiration... A reminder of the hard work and personal sacrifice that went into fighting for the constitutional rights of gay people, Blacks and women as well as for environmental protections." —The Washington Post "Revelatory... By attending to the experience of historical actors as they move through the world, he builds an account that is full of the complexity of lived experience. The result may not make for a simple read, but it is an infinitely rich one." —The Guardian "Describes the courage of his heroes and the price they paid for standing up and speaking out in hostile environments... Progress 'is always a figment until it is not,' Gaines reminds us, and those who help 'make it happen, make history.'" — Star Tribune "An up close and personal look at the lives and careers of activists who recognized various societal problems and fought them... All had one thing in common: the courage to stand out from the conformist crowd and address issues that had been swept under the table." — The Daily Beast"Gaines has written an exciting and enlightening revisionist history of the 1950s showing how the brave pioneers of that supposedly sleepy decade launched the movements of the 1960s that continue to this day. Here are the inspiring tales of the unsung heroes who sowed the seeds of the gay rights, civil rights, feminist, and environmental movements. They were the true rebels, and their bravery shows us how real social change occurs." - Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker "The Fifties is an enchanting, beautifully written book about heroes and the dark times to which they refused to surrender. We speak much too casually of heroes. These women and men of the ‘50s and thereafter, in all their complexity, deeply deserve the word, as Gaines's moving treatment makes clear." —Todd Gitlin, bestselling author of The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage; Professor of Journalism and Sociology and Chair, Ph. D. Program in Communications, Columbia University "A history of the courageous men and women who roiled postwar complacency... Inspiring activists populate a useful revisionist history." — Kirkus Review “Compassionate and insightful…Gaines provides essential historical context and vividly captures the resilience of these and other 'authentic rebels' who battled the FBI, McCarthyism, the medical industry, and the Ku Klux Klan 'in a time infamous for rewarding conformity and suppressing dissent.' This revisionist history is packed with insights." — Publishers Weekly “Enlightening, empowering, and intimate.”—BookPage “An engrossing deep dive into the personal histories of important figures...This work by Gaines follows in the footsteps of David Halberstam’s 1993 book of the same title and will be enjoyed by readers seeking solid historical research that is also an informative read. Recommended.”—Library Journal “[Gaines] has taken valiant steps to… painstakingly and persuasively show how the 10 individuals he profiles fought ‘through the thicket of postwar repressions’ to help build what would later come to be known as the gay rights, feminist, civil rights and environmental movements…An intrepid corrective.”—Shelf Awareness

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Book SynopsisThe 1931 murder of 'Broadway Butterfly' Vivian Gordon exposed an explosive story of graft, corruption and entrapment that went all the way to the top of the state. Wolraich brings a journalist's eye and a novelist's elegance to this story of Jazz Age New York.New York Times Vivian Gordon went out before midnight in a velvet dress and mink coat. Her body turned up the next morning in a desolate Bronx park, a dirty clothesline wrapped around her neck. At her stylish Manhattan apartment, detectives discovered notebooks full of namesbusinessmen, socialites, gangsters. And something else: a letter from an anti-corruption commission established by Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Led by the imperious Judge Samuel Seabury, the commission had uncovered a police conspiracy to frame women as prostitutes. Had Vivian Gordon been executed to bury her secrets? As FDR pressed the police to solve her murder, Judge Seabury pursued the trail of corruption to the top of Gotham's powerful political mac

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Book SynopsisFrom Miss Lou to Bob Marley and Usain Bolt to Kamala Harris, Jamaica has had an outsized reach in global mainstream culture. Yet many of its most important historical, cultural, and political events and aspects are largely unknown beyond the island. The Jamaica Reader presents a panoramic history of the country, from its precontact indigenous origins to the present. Combining more than one hundred classic and lesser-known texts that include journalism, lyrics, memoir, and poetry, the Reader showcases myriad voices from over the centuries: the earliest published black writer in the English-speaking world; contemporary dancehall artists; Marcus Garvey; and anonymous migrant workers. It illuminates the complexities of Jamaica's past, addressing topics such as resistance to slavery, the modern tourist industry, the realities of urban life, and the struggle to find a national identity following independence in 1962. Throughout, it sketches how its residents and visitors have experienced and shaped its place in the world. Providing an unparalleled look at Jamaica's history, culture, and politics, this volume is an ideal companion for anyone interested in learning about this magnetic and dynamic nation.Trade Review“Jamaica is an endless paradox, virtually impossible to summarize neatly in any single document. In The Jamaica Reader, Diana Paton and Matthew Smith extend an invitation to us to reflect on this paradox, its histories, and its cultural-political implications. In their thoughtful and diverse selection of texts (some expressive, some analytical, some narrative), framed by an engaging introduction, they offer a searching panorama of sometimes competing perspectives on the very idea of Jamaica.” -- David Scott, Columbia University“This is a bird's-eye view of the island shaped like a swimming turtle. It is a learned and joyful compendium of everything anyone needs to know about the place Columbus called the fairest isle that eyes ever beheld. Diana Paton and Matthew J. Smith have done a brilliant job of curating what is surely the most complete and all-encompassing gathering of writing about Jamaica ever assembled.” -- Lorna Goodison, Poet Laureate of Jamaica"This is an essential text for students of Jamaican history, society, culture and politics, and I am confident it will be a standard reader in Caribbean studies for many years to come.… It is impossible to see this book as anything other than the best introduction to the history of Jamaica, and the lives of the Jamaican people." -- F.S.J. Ledgister * Caribbean Quarterly *"The Jamaica Reader will prove highly useful to students and scholars alike. Indeed, such is the nature and layout of the excerpts that have been included that it appeals simultaneously to those looking for a general introduction to the history, politics and culture of Jamaica, and to those who may be already familiar with the island, but wish to explore further and in greater depth. Additionally, the generally short nature of each of the extracts actually makes the book an ideal teaching resource, whether as an introduction to engaging with the historiography of Jamaica, or as a way of exploring a wider variety of contemporary sources and accounts." -- Ben Markham * History *"It’s hard to think of a better introductory resource on the island, replete with bibliography, illustrations, and excellent brief introductions to each chapter." -- Richard Price and Sally Price * New West Indian Guide *"The cultural selections on visual arts—enhanced by color illustrations—and the worldwide influence of reggae are welcome additions to the more familiar material. Best for courses on Caribbean and Latin American studies in general. Recommended. General readers through graduate students." -- R. M. Delson * Choice *Table of ContentsNote on Abridgment xvii Acknowledgments xix Introduction 1 I. Becoming Jamaica 7 II. From English Conquest to Slave Society 49 III. Enlightenment Slavery 109 IV. Colonial Freedom 159 V. Jamaica Arise 209 VI. Independence and After 289 VII. Jamaica in the Age of Neoliberalism 363 VIII. Jamaicans in the World 435 Suggestions for Further Reading 487 Acknowledgments of Copyrights and Sources 493 Index 503

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Book SynopsisThe relationship between America and Pakistan is based on mutual incomprehension and always has been. Pakistan,to American eyes,has gone from being a quirky irrelevance, to a stabilizing friend, to an essential military ally, to a seedbed of terror. America,to Pakistani eyes,has been a guarantee of security, a coldly distant scold, an enthusiastic military enabler, and is now a threat to national security and a source of humiliation.The countries are not merely at odds. Each believes it can play the other,with sometimes absurd, sometimes tragic, results. The conventional narrative about the war in Afghanistan, for instance, has revolved around the Soviet invasion in 1979. But President Jimmy Carter signed the first authorization to help the Pakistani-backed mujahedeen covertly on July 3,almost six months before the Soviets invaded. Americans were told, and like to believe, that what followed was Charlie Wilson's war of Afghani liberation, with which they remain embroiled to this day. It was not. It was General Zia-ul-Haq's vicious regional power play.Husain Haqqani has a unique insight into Pakistan, his homeland, and America, where he was ambassador and is now a professor at Boston University. His life has mapped the relationship of the two countries and he has found himself often close to the heart of it, sometimes in very confrontational circumstances, and this has allowed him to write the story of a misbegotten diplomatic love affair, here memorably laid bare.Trade ReviewLibrary Journal "Haqqani uses his wealth of personal experience to present a detailed account of the genesis and evolution of U.S.-Pakistani relations over the last 60 years... The book is a useful resource for academics, journalists, and policymakers at all levels." Publishers Weekly "Insightful if disturbing... Making it clear why he is persona non grata in his homeland, Haqqani concludes that military aid has undermined Pakistan's democracy, converting it into a rentier state living off American money rather than its people's productivity." Asian Age "The book is part memoir, part searing indictment of Pakistan's flawed strategy of using jihadis to secure its strategic space... [Haqqani proves] himself to be a diligent and tireless researcher who backs up almost every stinging commentary on Pakistan's journey since independence to the present day, with fact." Mark Moyer, Wall Street Journal "[Haqqani's] purpose isn't to narrate his service as ambassador or score political points but to outline the contours of American relations with Pakistan over time, with a final chapter depicting the 2011 collapse as a new instance of historical trends. While one might desire a fuller accounting of his ambassadorship, the book covers its chosen ground superbly." Richard Leiby, Washington Post "A solid synthesis of history, political analysis and social critique." Lisa Curtis, National Interest "If you want a better understanding of why U.S. policy has failed so miserably in Pakistan, you should read Husain Haqqani's latest book... Fast-paced and highly readable... Haqqani has provided a well-documented and interesting account of the policy disconnects between the United States and Pakistan. His book should make a tremendous contribution toward grounding U.S. policy toward Pakistan in more realistic assumptions that will help avoid future crises between the two countries." Kirkus Reviews, starred review "[An] insightful, painful history of Pakistani-American relations... Demonstrating no mercy to either party, Haqqani admits that Pakistan verges on failed-state status but shows little patience with America's persistently shortsighted, fruitless policies."

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Book SynopsisThe title of this book We Were Not the Savages speaks to the truth of what happened when Europeans invaded Mi'kmaw lands in the 17th century. Prior to the European invasion the Mi'kmaq lived healthy lives and for thousands of years lived harmoniously with nature in the land they called Mi'kma'ki. This book sets the record straight. When the Europeans arrived, they were welcomed and sustained by the Mi'kmaq. After they became well established, over the next three centuries, they turned on the Mi'kmaq; their language, culture and their way of life was systematically ravaged by the newcomers to whom they had extended human kindness. The murderous savagery of white supremacist policies that begot residential schools, Indian reserves, scalping proclamations, etc., all but wiped out the Mi'kmaw people. Yet the Mi'kmaq survived and today stand defending the land, the water and nature's bounty from the European way of life, which threatens the natural world we live in and need to survive.Since the first edition was published in 1993, Daniel Paul's ongoing research puts the lie to the mainstream record of Canadian settler colonialism and reveals that the mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples throughout the Americas is not confined to the past. In this 4th edition the author shares his research, which catalogues not only the historical tragedy but the ongoing attempts to silence the Mi'kmaq and other Indigenous Peoples. Paul's work continues to give the Mi'kmaw people a voice that must be heard. It is a guiding light in a dark world.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing AwardsIn this fascinating travelogue, the product of almost a decade of travel and intense study, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro strips away the fantasy and myth to expose the real islands, and the real people, that make up the Caribbean.Trade ReviewA heartfelt Caribbean journey . . . through the places, literature and music of the region to beautifully illuminate the histories of people and continents . . . Terrific * * Observer * *Delves into the brutal history and unique allure of the Caribbean . . . Island People, written by a careful and compassionate author, is a worthy travel and history book, a fresh study * * Guardian * *A travelogue of love and scholarship . . . does the region splendid justice * * New York Times * *A pleasingly broad study of the Caribbean and its vital, indecipherable blend of peoples * * Financial Times * *Allows the Caribbean to stand on its own and shine . . . A celebration of culture, music and literature . . . shows the magic of the people of the Caribbean . . . infused with passion, love and vibrancy -- Sharmaine Lovegrove * * Monocle Arts Review * *A creative hybrid of travel writing and in-depth reportage . . . Its balance of skepticism and enthusiasm is driven by both wide knowledge and a bracing sympathy for the oppressed . . . He has a journalist's flair for interviews and is as deft with chance encounters as with pop idols. Above all he finds dignity as well as excitement in this beautiful archipelago -- Colin Thubron * * New York Review of Books * *This book illuminates, like no other I've read, the startling history and the complex present of the nations of the Caribbean. Written with passion and joyful music in the prose, Island People will become an indispensable companion for anybody travelling to the Caribbean - or dreaming of doing so -- SUKETU MEHTAMany have tried this before - to get hold of, in its entirety, the volatile, beautiful, relentlessly shifting Caribbean. Nobody has succeeded as dazzlingly as Joshua Jelly-Schapiro -- MARLON JAMESOne of those rare writers who bridges worlds - between deep scholarship and lively and accessible writing, between islands and mainlands, between big ideas and precise details, between history and possibility -- REBECCA SOLNITJoshua Jelly-Schapiro possesses both a humanist's irrepressible empathy and a journalist's necessary skepticism. He reports carefully, researches exhaustively, cares deeply, and writes beautifully -- DAVE EGGERSJoshua Jelly-Schapiro's grand book on the Caribbean is so striking in form and vision that it amounts to something new - a constant surprise . . . An important book filled with many truths -- HILTON ALSA marvel of a book . . . Joshua Jelly-Schapiro is a superb young writer who brings to this sea of dreams a scholar's authority, a novelist's way with character, and a top reporter's talent for stumbling into exactly that tale, however improbable and fantastic, that most needs telling -- MARK DANNERSensitive to the power of place to anchor or disturb identity, Josh Jelly-Schapiro maps the Caribbean through its myth and its music, its history and its intellectual tradition. Erudite, reflective and savvy, Island People is as much a pleasure to read as it is an education -- GAIUTRA BAHADUR

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Book SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARA New York Times bestseller, the incredible true story of a couple that escaped slavery in the South and eventually made their way to the UK, Africa and beyond.The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as "his" slave.In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North.Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers, who might have revealed their true identities. The tale of their adventure soon made them celebrities, and generated headlines around the country. Audiences could not get enough of this charismatic young couple, who travelled the country drawing thunderous applause as they spoke alongside some of the greatest abolitionists of the day.But even then, they were not out of danger. With the passage of an infamous new Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, all Americans became accountable for returning refugees like the Crafts to slavery. Then yet another adventure began, as the Crafts fled to England to embark upon a new life.With three epic journeys compressed into one monumental bid for freedom, Master Slave Husband Wife recounts both a ground-breaking quest for liberty and justice, and an unforgettable love story.Trade Review'Ellen and William Craft loved each other, but also loved freedom, and knew one was impossible without the other ... we readers gasp in amazement and wonder at the tragedy and triumph' -- Marlon James, winner of The Booker Prize'A feat of ... storytelling, sympathy and insight' * The New York Times *'Woo's history draws from a variety of sources, including the Crafts' own account, to reconstruct a 'journey of mutual self-emancipation', while artfully sketching the background of a nation careering toward civil war' * The New Yorker *'Phenomenal' -- Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, author of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois'A suspenseful, sensitively rendered account . . . Woo tells the story [with] a cinematic eye' -- W. Caleb McDaniel * The New York Times Book Review *'Superbly researched and masterfully written' * Library Journal *'A gripping adventure. . . . suspenseful and wonderfully told' * Kirkus Reviews *'A pathbreaking book ... Riveting' -- Stuart Miller * The Los Angeles Times *'A narrative of such courage and resourcefulness it seems too dashing to be true. But it is... The story is so richly dramatic, and Ms. Woo so skilled at spinning it out, that at times it's a genuine nail-biter' -- Priscilla M. Jensen * The Wall Street Journal *'Master Slave Husband Wife tells one of the most important stories of American slavery and freedom. With prose that is suspenseful, brilliantly detailed, historically precise, and simply gorgeous, Woo depicts the Crafts and their historic role in antebellum America stunningly. This is a story that will stay with you for a lifetime' -- Imani Perry * author of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation *'Details of the history of 19th-century American slavery and the courage of those who suffered it and the inhuman vileness of those who were responsible for it' -- Patrick Stewart * interviewed in The New York Times *

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Book Synopsis‘The greatest biography of our era … Essential reading for those who want to comprehend power and politics’ The TimesRobert A. Caro’s legendary, multi-award-winning biography of US President Lyndon Johnson is a uniquely riveting and revelatory account of power, political genius and the shaping of twentieth-century America.Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, Master of the Senate takes Johnson’s story through one of its most remarkable periods: his twelve years, from 1949 to 1960, in the United States Senate. Once the most august and revered body in politics, by the time Johnson arrived the Senate had become a parody of itself and an obstacle that for decades had blocked desperately needed liberal legislation. Caro shows how Johnson’s brilliance, charm and ruthlessness enabled him to become the youngest and most powerful Majority Leader in history and how he used his incomparable legislative genius – seducing both Northern liberals and Southern conservatives – to pass the first Civil Rights legislation since Reconstruction.Trade ReviewThe greatest biography of our era … Essential reading for those who want to comprehend power and politics * The Times *As if it were possible, Master of the Senate takes what was already an outstanding multi-volume series on to a still higher plane. It is, quite simply, the finest biography I have ever read, or ever could imagine reading. It is more than that: it is one of the finest works of literature I have ever encountered, or ever hope to * New Statesman *The breathtaking detail makes it impossible to put down * The Times *Dazzling ... awesome ... Rarely will you come across a more compelling account of the nature of great power and its entanglement with massive personality. Rarely will you find another biography which is such a fascinating study of how a bad man became a power for the good * Observer *A wonderful, a glorious tale … It will be hard to equal this amazing book … Caro’s description of how [Johnson passed the civil rights legislation] is masterly; I was there and followed the course of the legislation closely, but I did not know the half of it * New York Times Book Review *Quite breathtaking ... one of the great political biographies -- Gordon Brown

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Book Synopsis‘A compelling real-life thriller, full of passion, free of writerly fuss, woven from the most intractable archival cat’s cradle imaginable.’ Simon Ings, The Telegraph The true story of a decade-long investigation that opens a new window onto Cold War espionage, CIA secrets, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Independent filmmaker Mary Haverstick thought she’d stumbled onto the project of a lifetime — a biopic of a little-known aviation legend whose story seemed to embody the hopeful spirit of the dawn of the space age. But after she received a mysterious warning from a government agent, Haverstick began to suspect that all was not as it seemed. What she found as she dug deeper was a darker story — a story of double identities and female spies, a tangle of intrigue that stretched from the fields of the Congo to the shores of Cuba, from the streets of Mexico City to the dark heart of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas, Texas. As Haverstick attempted to learn the truth directly from her subject in a cat-and-mouse game that stretched across a decade, she plunged deep into the CIA files of the 1950s and 60s. A Woman I Know brings vividly to life the duplicities of the Cold War intelligence game, a world where code names and doubletalk are the lingua franca of spies bent on seeking advantage by any means necessary. As Haverstick sheds light on a remarkable set of women whose high-stakes intelligence work has left its only traces in redacted files, she also discovers disturbing and shocking new clues about what really happened at Dealey Plaza in 1963. Offering new clues to the assassination and a vivid picture of women in mid-century intelligence, A Woman I Know is a gripping real-life thriller.Trade Review‘A cat-and-mouse search for a woman’s identity opens onto a shadowy corner of the assassination of John F. Kennedy … Jerrie Cobb’s fascinating life reveals her to be “a spy, an explorer, a gambler, an astronaut, an illusionist, a narcissist, and a con” — and, to say the least, a puzzle. Assassination buffs and students of spycraft will find this intriguing and endlessly enigmatic.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘Mary Haverstick’s tale is troubling. It is made up of stories that fit together, but that end up making the whole a little opaque by dint of concealment and lies. However, the author spares no effort to unravel the truth from the lies throughout the many interviews she had with this fascinating woman … In any case, the personality of Jerrie Cobb is surprising, whimsical and romantic … We’ll leave it to the readers to discover this skein of intrigues that leads to Dallas. But anyway, this incredible lady deserved to be revealed with so much mastery and unexpected twists.’ * Livres Hebdo *‘An anxious, furious, forensic contribution to the study of the assassination of US president John F Kennedy … Haverstick is in earnest here, and has a memory like a filing system and a filing system like a vice. The least this book could possibly be is a compelling real-life thriller, full of passion, free of writerly fuss, woven from the most intractable archival cat’s cradle imaginable. That’s what you’ve got, even before you think to take it seriously — and I’ll bet the farm that you will. -- Simon Ings * The Telegraph *‘Fascinating … [Haverstick] distills a prodigious amount of research into a fast-moving story … As a fresh history of US espionage, A Woman I Know is an absorbing read.’ * The New York Times *‘Mary Haverstick … seems to have broken new ground … The seductive thing about her argument is that it ties together all the loose pieces and vexing puzzles to do with Oswald, the CIA, and Mexico City. She has avoided the many pitfalls of earlier conspiracy theories and brought forth abundant new evidence. And she did not set out to generate a conspiracy theory … She was driven unsuspecting to her conclusion.’ -- Paul Monk * The Australian *

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Book SynopsisThe pre-Civil War textile industry in Lowell, Massachusetts exemplified the American industrial revolution and heralded a nationwide shift from farm to factory. During this time, technological innovation, investment capital, entrepreneurship, new methods of industrial organization, and labor provided by mill girls propelled large-scale manufacturing in an important U.S. industry. Mill Girls of Lowell gives insight into the role of mill girls in the story of modernization and industrialization.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Jake S. Friedman has done an impressive job of research, to put it mildly. Without knowing the sequence of events it’s impossible to understand how this bitter strike came about. Add to that the perceived insults, slights, and resentments and you have the stuff of great drama.” —Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian, author of Of Mice and Magic “Author Jake S. Friedman takes us on a deep dive into Hollywood history delivered in a style that reads like a film noir page turner. I could not put this book down.” —Don Hahn, producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King “Gangsters, backroom deals, murder, and . . . cartoons? I’ve long been interested in the 1941 Disney strike, and Jake S. Friedman’s book does not disappoint. Well written and thoroughly researched—a great read!” —Pete Docter, director of Monsters Inc., Up, Inside Out, and SoulTable of ContentsAuthor’s Note Prologue Part I: Innovation 1. My Father Was a Socialist 2. Poor and Starving 3. The Value of Loyalty 4. Arthur Babbitt: Hell-Raiser 5. Fighting for His Salary 6. You Can’t Draw Your Ass 7. The Disney Art School 8. Three Little Pigs 9. Enter Bioffsky 10. The Cult of Personality 11. A Feature-Length Cartoon 12. Bioff Stakes His Claim 13. A Drunken Mouse 14. Disney’s Folly 15. Defense Against the Enemy Part II: Turmoil 16. A Growing Divide 17. The Norconian 18. A Wooden Boy and a World War 19. Dreams Shattered 20. Hilberman, Sorrell, and Bioff 21. The Federation Versus the Guild 22. The Guild and Babbitt 23. Disney Versus the Labor Board 24. The Final Strike Vote 25. Strike! 26. The Big Stick 27. The 21 Club 28. Willie Bioff and Walt Disney 29. The Guild and the CIO 30. Not the Drawing 31. The Final Goodbye 32. And They Lived Epilogue Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“The Lonely Crowd . . . was published more than half a century ago. It remains not only the best-selling book by a professional sociologist in American history, but arguably one that has had the widest influence on the nation at large. The work . . . inevitably raises questions about the claims and limitations of academic sociology today.”—Orlando Patterson, New York Times“One of the most important books of the twentieth century.”—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker“As accessible as it is acute, The Lonely Crowd is indispensable reading for anyone who wishes to understand American society. After half a century, this book has lost none of its capacity to make sense of how we live.”—Todd Gitlin

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA thrilling narrative history of how one rap battle in New York transformed American culture forever. July 3, 1981, was a pivotal night for the future of America's newest art form: hip hop. In New York's Harlem World Club, the Fantastic Romantic Five and the Cold Crush Brothers competed, with an unprecedented $1,000and their reputationson the line in a highly anticipated rap battle. The show drew hundreds of fans to settle a question that still dominates hip hop circles: Who's the best? In Harlem World, journalist Jonathan Mael chronicles this fateful night of hip hop rivalry and shares a new look at how Harlem helped ignite a musical revolution. Since hip hop first emerged in New York in the early 1970s, artists like Theodore Livingston (DJ Grand Wizzard Theodore) and Curtis Brown (Grandmaster Caz) sought to elevate this uniquely American musical genre by pushing the limits of record-playing techniques and lyricism. The two crews they assembled put on the best shows in a world whereTrade Review"Journalist Mael chronicles hip-hop's emergence in late 1970s and '80s New York City in his rollicking debut. . . . Readers curious about the genre's roots will want to take it for a spin."—Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Crispy Crust Pizzeria1. The Sound Room2. Routines3. New York, New York4. Hip Hop's Great Poet5. Harlem World6. Collision Course7. Tough-Ass Four Emcees8. Somebody, and Anybody, and Everybody Scream9. Traveling Tapes10. Wild StyleEpilogue: "The Message"

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Book SynopsisThe war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or the college campuses. It was lost in Washington, D.C.  —H. R. McMaster (from the Conclusion)Dereliction Of Duty is a stunning analysis of how and why the United States became involved in an all-out and disastrous war in Southeast Asia. Fully and convincingly researched, based on transcripts and personal accounts of crucial meetings, confrontations and decisions, it is the only book that fully re-creates what happened and why. McMaster pinpoints the policies and decisions that got the United States into the morass and reveals who made these decisions and the motives behind them, disproving the published theories of other historians and excuses of the participants.A page-turning narrative, Dereliction Of Duty focuses on a fascinating cast of characters: President Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, General Maxwell Taylor, McGeorge Bundy and other top aides who deliberately deceived the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Congress and the American public.McMaster’s only book, Dereliction of Duty is an explosive and authoritative new look at the controversy concerning the United States involvement in Vietnam.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBryant has an encyclopedic knowledge of public affairs and popular culture ... The result is riveting, often revelatory, crammed with facts … The great strength of Bryant’s book is his ability to make large structural changes vivid through outsized personalities and his own personal experiences … Readable, powerful and instructive. * Washington Post *A masterclass from an outstanding chronicler of modern America ... Insightful, thoughtful, and beautifully written. -- Orla GuerinNick Bryant writes like a dream, and is one of those very rare things on TV - a man who makes you want to turn up the sound. His eye for description is sublime, and he has a way of showing you what you’ve been missing from the whole story, whilst never leaving you feeling stupid. -- Emily MaitlisAn absolutely belting achievement ... An elegy for a lost nation and a lost cause. -- Justin WebbThere are all too many people who can opine about the United States but there are very few with Nick Bryant’s depth of knowledge, experience and empathy for the country and his ability to communicate intelligently, engagingly and entertainingly. -- Nick RobinsonBryant is a genuine rarity, a Brit who understands America. * Washington Post *A scathing indictment of the polarization and degradation that has transformed the US … [A]n adroit political critique. * Kirkus Reviews *Few outsiders explain America better than Nick Bryant or write about it as well. This is a must-read guide to an extraordinary time. -- Katty Kay[Bryant] has a deeper understanding than many of the ebb and flow of history ... [His] breezy prose displays a keen eye for good quotations and telling anecdotes. * TLS *Listeners who want a perspective that’s both outside and inside and crucially, that comes from a place of love for the US, should look out for When America Stopped Being Great. * The New Statesman *Terrific. Very much recommended. * The Monocle Daily *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Face to Face with ‘The Donald’ 1 It’s Morning Again in America 2 Goodbye to the Greatest Generation 3 Bill and Newt 4 The Three Convulsions 5 No You Can’t 6 The Donald Trump Show 7 American Carnage 8 The Descent into January 6th Conclusion: Present at the Destruction Afterword: Code Red for American Democracy Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book SynopsisIn Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor Tim Lawrence examines the city's party, dance, music, and art culture between 1980 and 1983, tracing the rise, apex, and fall of this inventive, vibrant, and tumultuous scene.Trade Review"Lawrence goes into remarkable depth to portray this world which, during its few short years, gained expansive popularity and had a significant impact on art, film, literature, and culture. His meticulous research, with details on the leading figures, trends, events, places, and music that made it all happen, also provides critical/analytical commentary on the social backdrop of the times, the genesis of the emerging and eclectic music/dance styles, and the essence of this artistic renaissance. In addition to the well-selected photographs, notes, and bibliography, set lists, discographies, and a filmography add to the title's impressive breadth. Cultural historians and those familiar with the 1980s milieu will find this informative and insightful." -- Carol J. Binkowski * Library Journal *"Through a comprehensive and lushly detailed text stuffed with original photos from dance floors, DJ booths, and parties, Lawrence imparts the mood, the music, the faces and the places from that remarkable era, with a nostalgic nod to nights where 'a new kind of freedom was set to rule the night.' ... Dance music historians will want this book for reference, while others who recall these days with a sense of longing will close its covers and dream of the days when nightlife amounted to a line of cocaine, a Madonna remix, and a dark, packed dance floor in a basement club in the Village." -- Jim Piechota * Bay Area Reporter *"Life and Death provides the most intensive mapping of this brief era of New York subculture we've yet seen. The book's strength is its depth of research, drawing on the realtime journalism of the era as well as many new interviews. The detail is fascinating, as Lawrence salvages ephemeral events, forgotten people, and lost places from the fog of faded memory." -- Simon Reynolds * Bookforum *"Exceptionally accessible (the author’s passion for his subject shows through on every page; it’s easy to imagine how his knowledge and genuine interest opened many a door and got people talking, telling tales recorded here that might not otherwise have seen the light of day), the raw, new energy of the city is accurately captured and conveyed. No small feat.... Seriously, when’s the last time you read a book you could actually dance to?" -- Tom Cardamone * Lambda Literary Review *"The focus here is clearly music. Mr. Lawrence even includes some D.J. playlists for the listener to investigate. But Life and Death is more expansive than that — it takes you deep into a time and place, the good-old-bad-old-days of pre-Rudolph Giuliani New York, which many have valorized for some time now. If the 1970s have been thoroughly examined, the early ’80s have been left relatively unexplored, and while Mr. Lawrence provides a lot of minutiae, he also delivers a story with some sweep." -- Michaelangelo Matos * New York Times *"[I]f you have no abiding love for New York, disco, hip-hop, studio techniques, or fast and dirty real-estate shuffles—there must be such people, statistically—perhaps Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor will not hold you. But if you care for any of those things, and even if that concern borders on the obsessive, you will benefit from Lawrence’s investigations." -- Sasha Frere-Jones * The New Yorker *"The cast of characters in the book can be staggering, the exhaustive accounts overwhelming — Lawrence interviewed or corresponded with more than 130 people, and he makes room for their voices — but that's part of the point: He wants a crowded and motley party. This is a scrupulously researched, marvelously detailed history." -- Megan Pugh * Village Voice *"[A] compelling tale, beautifully told. As one who was fortunate enough to have landed in New York during this timeframe, Lawrence does a cracking job capturing a time when even listening to the city’s black radio stations at noon could change your life. It was a surreal, magical period of ground-breaking activity which now seems hard to believe could actually happen at the same time in the same city. Finally, here’s the proof." -- Kris Needs * Record Collector *"[O]ffers fresh detail and insight on the clubs, DJs, parties and recordings that emerged from the scene. He even offers DJ playlists from different clubs." -- Andy Beta * Wall Street Journal *"Tim Lawrence's Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor 1980-1983, the definitive history of that fabled time in the city, is already taking on the status of a sacred text." -- David Hershkovits * Paper Magazine *"Reading Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor as a clubber in the city is to reflect not only on what’s been lost over the past three decades, but on how the sounds, events and characters at the center of Lawrence’s story still influence NYC’s nightlife. . . . [W]hat Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor makes acutely obvious, as both volume and prism, is not just the cultural value of the city’s party scene, but how it also serves as a moral compass – and how it still can." -- Piotr Olov * The Guardian *"Life & Death defines New York's unnamed era of invention. When Boy George was nicking from the cloakroom at Blitz, and everyone else was at The Batcave, this is how it ran in NYC. With hundreds of interviews, deep research and enlightening playlists, it's almost as invigorating as being there." * DJ Magazine *"Lawrence has mustered convincing evidence for the case that Madonna was not the most important cultural creation of early 1980s New York. . . . Lawrence is most convincing when he documents the remarkable variety and genre-blurring fecundity of sounds available to tuned-in city dwellers, a diversity that was even more bracing when contrasted with the monotonous airwaves stifling the rest of North America." -- Robert Anasi * TLS *"Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor is a remarkably intense piece of 'community history writing.' It breathes life into an iconic historical epoch and sociocultural scene without ever retreating into nostalgia or naive celebration. In fact, there's something unexpectedly electrifying about reading Lawrence's exceptionally well-researched historical studies. It is the sensation of remotely yet meaningfully becoming part of something hitherto only secretly known. One becomes slowly yet unequivocally aware of how that specific era's cultural and sociopolitical conditions, so thoroughly reconstructed in these works, resonate with the current sense of cultural and political impasse." -- Niels Van Tomme * The Wire *Table of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xvii Introduction 1 Part I. 1980: The Recalibration of Disco 1. Stylistic Coherence Didn't Matter at All 11 2. The Basement Den at Club 57 30 3. Danceteria: Midtown Feels the Downtown Storm 48 4. Subterranean Dance 60 5. The Bronx-Brooklyn Approach 73 6. The Sound Became More Real 92 7. Major-Label Calculations 105 8. The Saint Peter of Discos 111 9. Lighting the Fuse 122 Part II. 1981: Accelerating Toward Pluralism 10. Explosion of Clubs 135 11. Artistic Maneuvers in the Dark 155 12. Downton Configures Hip Hop 170 13. The Sound of a Transcendent Future 184 14. The New Urban Street Sound 199 15. It Wasn't Rock and Roll and It Wasn't Disco 210 16. Frozen in Time or Freed into Infinity 221 17. It Felt Like the Whole City Was Listening 232 18. Shrouded Abatements and Mysterious Deaths 239 Part III. 1982: Dance Culture Seizes the City 19. All We Had Was the Club 245 20. Inverted Pyramid 257 21. Roxy Music 271 22. The Garage: Everybody Was Listening to Everything 279 23. The Planet Rock Groove 288 24. Techno Funksters 304 25. Taste Segues 314 26. Stormy Weather 320 27. Cusp of an Important Fusion 331 Part IV. 1983: The Genesis of Division 28. Cristal for Everyone 343 29. Dropping the Pretense and the Flashy Suits 369 30. Straighten It Out with Larry Levan 381 31. Stripped-Down and Scrambled Sounds 400 32. We Became Part of This Energy 419 33. Sex and Dying 430 34. We Got the Hits, We Got the Future 438 35. Behind the Groove 449 Epilogue. Life, Death, and the Hereafter 458 Notes 485 Selected Discography 515 Selected Filmography 529 Selected Bibliography 521 Index 537

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] tour de force. Middlekauff has the admirable ability to capture historical truths in vivid images and memorable phrases.... Middlekauff's empathy enhances this massive book's cumulative power. The cause was glorious; the book is too."--Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post Book World"This is narrative history at its best, written in a conversational and engaging style.... A major revision and expansion of a popular history of the American Revolutionary period."--Library Journal"The reader in search of a wide-ranging overview of the Revolution would be better off turning to any number of earlier books (from Trevelyan's classic 'American Revolution' to more recent works like 'The Glorious Cause' by Robert Middlekauff)."--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times, in a review of 1776Table of ContentsMaps Editor's Introduction Porlogue: The Sustaining Truths 1. The Obstructed Giant 2. The Children of the Twice-Born 3. Beginnings: From the Top Down 4. The Stamp Act Crisis 5. Response 6. Selden's Penny 7. Chance and Charles Townshend 8. Boston Takes the Lead 9. The "Bastards of England" 10. Drift 11. Resolution 12. War 13. "Half a War" 14. Independence 15. The War of Posts 16. The War of Maneuver 17. The Revolution Becomes a European War 18. The War in the South 19. The "Fugitive War" 20. Inside the Campaigns 21. Outside the Campaigns 22. Yorktown and Paris 23. The Constitutional Movement 24. The Children of the Twice-Born in the 1780s 25. The Constitutional Convention 26. Ratification: An End and a Beginning Epilogue

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Book SynopsisThough the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, its impact on our lives is as recent as today''s news. Claims and counterclaims about the constitutionality of governmental actions are a habit of American politics. This document, which its framers designed to limit power, often has made political conflict inevitable. It also has accommodated and legitimized the political and social changes of a vibrant, powerful democratic nation. A product of history''s first modern revolution, the Constitution embraced a new formula for government: it restrained power on behalf of liberty, but it also granted power to promote and protect liberty. The U.S. Constitution: A Very Short Introduction explores the major themes that have shaped American constitutional history-- federalism, the balance of powers, property, representation, equality, rights, and security. Informed by the latest scholarship, this book places constitutional history within the context of American political and social history. We do not operate today under the same Constitution created by our founding fathers or the Constitution as completed by the Bill of Rights in 1791 or even the one revised by the Reconstruction amendments. Nor are we the same nation. As our circumstances have changed, so has our Constitution.Today we face serious challenges to the nation''s constitutional legacy. Endless wars, a sharply divided electorate and deadlocked government, economic inequality, immigration, cybersecurity and privacy, and foreign interference in the nation''s democratic processes, among a host of other issues, have placed demands on government and on society that test our constitutional values. Understanding how the Constitution has evolved will help us adapt its principles to the challenges of our age.Trade ReviewThe Constitution and words like impeachment are bandied about frequently when administrations and individual presidents run into trouble, and those engaged in the debate would do well to take refresher courses. For the rest of the world, it is a very useful introduction to the subject, it does what it says on the can and much more besides. * Dr David Cowan, The Global Legal Post *Table of ContentsList of illustrations1. The problematic Constitution2. The revolutionary Constitution3. Constitutional themes4. The future ConstitutionReferencesFurther readingIndex

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Book SynopsisA collection of six volumes that have shaped America—from colonial times to the present day. Since its founding, the United States of America has represented freedom, whether it be that of the state or the individual. This boxed set of six special-edition Word Cloud Classics includes The U.S. Constitution and Other Key American Writings, Selected Works of Alexander Hamilton, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Common Sense and The Rights of Man, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Other Works, and Presidential Inaugural Addresses. Readers with an interest in American history will be proud to display these works on their bookshelf—and a montage of the American flag on the spines is sure to provoke many an interesting conversation.

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Book SynopsisIn the tradition of the best writing on human behaviour and moral choices in the face of disaster, physician and reporter Sheri Fink reconstructs five days at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina and draws the reader into the lives of those who struggled mightily to survive and to maintain life amidst chaos. After Katrina struck and the floodwaters rose, the power failed, and the heat climbed, exhausted caregivers chose to designate certain patients last for rescue. Months later, several health professionals faced criminal allegations that they deliberately injected numerous patients with drugs to hasten their deaths. Five Days at Memorial, the culmination of six years of reporting, unspools the mystery of what happened in those days, bringing the reader into a hospital fighting for its life and into a conversation about the most terrifying form of health care rationing.In a voice at once involving and fair, masterful and intimate, Fink exposes the hidden dilemmas of end-of-life care and reveals just how ill-prepared we are for the impact of large-scale disasters - and how we can do better. A remarkable book, engrossing from start to finish, Five Days at Memorial radically transforms our understanding of human nature in crisis.Trade ReviewExtraordinary... A profound and unforgettable piece of journalism * Sunday Times *The gripping and complex account of what happened in a New Orleans hospital in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. -- Geoff Dyer * New Statesman, Books of the Year *Gripping... an illuminating investigation into the chaos that consumed a hospital during Hurricane Katrina... It reminds an international audience that literature can soar to artistic and intellectual heights undreamed of in other realms of media. * Independent *[A] superb and remarkable book... Gripping * Mail on Sunday *Riveting * Financial Times *Masterfully and compassionately reported and as gripping as a thriller, the book poses reverberating questions about end-of-life care, race discrimination in medicine and how individuals and institutions break down during disasters. * New York Times *In this astonishing blend of Pulitzer-Prize winning journalism and breathtaking narration, [Fink] chronicles the chaotic evacuation of the hospital and the agonizing ethical, physical and emotional quandaries facing Memorial nurses and doctors * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review *Fink offers a stunning re-creation of the storm, its aftermath, and the investigation that followed... Both a breathtaking read and an essential book for understanding how people behave in times of crisis * Booklist, Starred Review *Fink draws those few days in the hospital's life with a fine, lively pen, providing stunningly framed vignettes of activities in the hospital and sharp pocket profiles of many of the characters * Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review *

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Book SynopsisThis is the untold story of the small group of men who have devised the plans and shaped the policies on how to use the Bomb. The book (first published in 1983) explores the secret world of these strategists of the nuclear age and brings to light a chapter in American political and military history never before revealed.Trade Review“An intensely important subject....Kaplan makes it absorbing, and what is more, comprehensible.”—Barbara Tuchman

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Book SynopsisThis new edition of Brogan''s superb one-volume history - from early British colonisation to the Reagan years - captures an array of dynamic personalities and events. In a broad sweep of America''s triumphant progress. Brogan explores the period leading to Independence from both the American and the British points of view, touching on permanent features of ''the American character'' - both the good and the bad. He provides a masterly synthesis of all the latest research illustrating America''s rapid growth from humble beginnings to global dominance.Table of ContentsThe Penguin History of the USA - Hugh Brogan A Note of ThanksNote for the Revised EditionAcknowledgmentsBook One: The Settlement1. Prelude c. 30,000 BC-C. AD 16002. The Roots of English Colonization3. The Planting of Virginia 1607-764. The Planting of New England 1604-c.16755. Indians 1492-1920Book Two: The Old Order and the American Revolution6. Imperial Britain 1660-17637. Thirteen Colonies c. 1675-17638. The Waking of the Revolution 1759-669. The Road to Ruin 1766-7510. The War of the Revolution 1775-8311. The Peace and the Constitution 1783-9Book Three: The Age of Equality12. The Planting of the West13. The Development of a Democracy 1789-184114. Slavery and its Consequences 1800-186115. The War About Slavery 1861-516. Reconstruction 1865-77Book Four: The Age of Gold17. The Billion-Dollar Country 1865-190018. Congressional Government and its Critics 1869-9619. The Progressive Adventure 1897-191420. The Education of Woodrow Wilson 1914-2121. Irresponsibility 1921-33Book Five: The Superpower22. The Era of Franklin Roosevelt 1933-823. The Reluctant Giant 1933-4524. Cold War Abroad and at Home 1945-6125. Unfinished Business 1954-6826. The Crisis of the New Order 1963-7427. A World Restored? 1977-89A Note on Further ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisHe knew nothing of celestial navigation or of the existence of the Pacific Ocean. He was a self-promoting and ambitious entrepreneur. His maps were a hybrid of fantasy and delusion. When he did make land, he enslaved the populace he found, encouraged genocide, and polluted relations between peoples. He ended his career in near lunacy.But Columbus had one asset that made all the difference, an inborn sense of the sea, of wind and weather, and of selecting the optimal course to get from A to B. Laurence Bergreen''s energetic and bracing book gives the whole Columbus and most importantly, the whole of his career, not just the highlight of 1492. Columbus undertook three more voyages between 1494 and 1504, each designed to demonstrate that he could sail to China within a matter of weeks and convert those he found there to Christianity. By their conclusion, Columbus was broken in body and spirit, a hero undone by the tragic flaw of pride. If the first voyage illustrates the rewards of exploration, this book shows how the subsequent voyages illustrate the costs - political, moral, and economic.Trade Review"Laurence Bergreen's Columbus was brillliant, audacious, volatile, paranoid and ruthless. What emerges in this biography, a worthy addition to the literature on Columbus is a surprising and revealing portrait of a man who might have been the title charcater in a Shakespearan tradegy." — The New York Times"Laurence Bergreen's ambitious new biography, Columbus: The Four Voyages [is] a spellbinding epic that's simultaneiously a profoundly private portrait of the most complex, compelling, controversial creature ever to board a boat. This scrupulously researched, unbiased account of four death-defying journeys to The New World reveals the Admiral's paradoxical personality." — USA Today"A compelling new book [that] details the explorer's trips to the New World, including three you haven't heard about." — Salon"Once you have read this superb acount of Columbus' four voyages, you will never be content with the cliche about the Italian-born explorer's sailing the ocean blue in 1492. Author of many prize-winning popular history books on topics as diverse as Marco Polo and Al Capone. Laurence Bergreen is a New York-based scholar whose portrayal of the life and times of Christopher Columbus is a tour de force." — Winnipeg Free Press"Laurence Bergreen's new book, refreshingly, is fluid in style in its style and comprehensive in its research. Richly illustrated and enhanced with maps that are as legible as they are relevant. Columbus: The Four Voyages is complex in its themes, intriguing in its substance and sparkling with suprises." — The Washington Times"In this scrupulously fair and often thrilling account of his four vorages to the "New World," Bergreen reveals Columbus as brilliant, brave, adventurous, and deeply flawed . . . A superb reexamination of the character and career of a still controversial historical agent." — Booklist

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