Politics and government Books

Book SynopsisOffers a look inside a country torn apart - from corrupt officials to warlords and child brides - while revisiting the author's own family's deep roots to the land.Trade Review"Nawa deftly sketches the geopolitical nightmare that is today's Afghanistan, but the book's real strength is her detailed, sensitive reporting of individual people's stories." -- Boston Globe "Powerful... Nawa draws rich, complex portraits of subjects on both sides of the law ... Nawa's work is remarkable for its depth, honesty, and commitment to recording women's stories, even when it means putting her own safety at risk. She writes with passion about the history of her volatile homeland and with cautious optimism about its future." -- Publishers Weekly "Nawa ably captures the tragic complexity of Afghan society and the sheer difficulty of life there... Her assured narrative clearly stems from in-depth reporting in a risk-laden environment." -- Kirkus Reviews "Insightful and informative... Fariba Nawa weaves her personal story of reconnecting with her homeland after 9/11 with a very engaging narrative that chronicles Afghanistan's dangerous descent into opium trafficking ... [and] how the drug trade has damaged the lives of ordinary Afghan people." -- Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns "Opium Nation brings much needed depth and complexity to any conversation involving Afghanistan and its future. Fariba Nawa writes with the detailed eye of a journalist, the warmth of a proud Afghan and the nuanced perspective of someone effortlessly straddling the East and the West." -- Firoozeh Dumas, author of Laughing Without an Accent and Funny in Farsi "Journalists, policy makers, and scholars have written on the Afghan drug trade, but no one has shown its human drama and toll like Fariba Nawa. [She] offers a unique view of the human side of this conflict in which we are so deeply engaged." -- Barnett R. Rubin, author of The Fragmentation of Afghanistan

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Book SynopsisTakes over two dozen of our most beloved Christmas carols and writes them from a zombie's point-of-view.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Where is Dana Perino? She is desperately needed.” — Jesse's mom “Jesse Watters is officially out of control.” — Washington Post “Does Watters have the most punchable face in America? The answer is obviously yes.” — Daily Beast “Keep this guy off TV.” — Mayor Bill DeBlasio “A human Jäger bomb.” — Media Matters “A smug, unfunny goon.” — The Daily Show "Blissfully ignorant." — Salon “Probably the smarmiest fuck on the planet.” — Gawker “Jesse Watters is even more stupid than I originally gave him credit for. I mean, surprisingly ignorant. Which I kinda knew, but still.” — Soledad O'Brien “A Fox News reporter with a Stiffler-esque swagger who does not tend to break actual news.” — New Yorker

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Book SynopsisA #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.In this searing memoir, Congressman Jamie Raskin tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life?and his family?s?as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent insurrection in our nation?s Capitol, and led the impeachment effort to hold President Trump accountable forinciting the political violence.On December 31, 2020, Tommy Raskin, the only son of Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, tragically took his own life after a long struggle with depression.Seven days later on January 6, Congressman Raskin returned to Congress to help certify the 2020 Presidential election results, when violent insurrectionists led by right wing extremist groups stormed the U.S. Capitol hoping to hand four more years of power to President Donald Trump. As our reeling nation mourned the deaths of numerous people and lamented the injuries of more than 140 police officers hurt in the attack, Congressman Raskin, a Constitutional law professor, was called upon to put aside his overwhelming grief?both personal and professional?and lead the impeachment effort against President Trump for inciting the violence. Together this nine-member team of House impeachment managers riveted a nation still in anguish, putting on an unprecedented Senate trial that produced the most bipartisan Presidential impeachment vote in American history.Now for the first time, Congressman Raskin discusses this unimaginable convergence of personal and public trauma, detailing how the painful loss of his son and the power of Tommy?s convictions fueled the Congressman?s work in the aftermath of modern democracy?s darkest day.Going inside Congress on January 6, he recounts the horror of that day, a day that he and other Democrats had spent months preparing for under the correct assumption that they would encounter an attempted electoral coup?not against a President but for one. And yet, on January 6, he faced the one thing he had failed to anticipate: mass political violence designed to block Biden?s election. With an inside account ofleading the team prosecutingPresident Trump in the Senate, Congressman Raskin shares never before told stories of just how close we came to losing our democracy that fateful day and lays out the methodical prosecution that convinced Democrats and Republicans alike of Trump?s responsibility for inciting insurrectionary violence against our government.Through it all, he reckons with the loss of his brilliant, remarkable son, a Harvard Law student whose values and memory continually inspired the Congressman to confront the dark impulses unleashed by Donald Trump. At turns, a moving story of a father coping with his pain and a revealing examination of holding President Trump accountable for the violence he fomented, this book is a vital reminder of the ongoing struggle for the soul of American democracy and the perseverance that our Constitution demands from us all.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"He is a fluid writer and careful researcher, and even as someone who has taken a professional interest in criminal justice for decades, I was surprised to learn a lot of fascinating tidbits. . . . especially valuable when Honig provides original reporting and analysis." — Scott Turow, The Washington Post, on Untouchable "CNN legal analyst Honig (Hatchet Man) delivers a disturbing analysis of how the U.S. justice system makes it so difficult to hold the wealthy and well-connected to account for their crimes…[Honig’s] fluid prose and sharp analysis amount to a slam-dunk case that American justice is far from blind." — Publisher's Weekly on Untouchable "Cogent analysis of how privileged individuals skirt criminal prosecution... A distressing account of how power often trumps justice within the American criminal justice system." — Kirkus Reviews on Untouchable “Written with all the color and pacing of a legal thriller.” — Variety on Hatchet Man “[A] damning, convincing account….A resounding excoriation of an unquestionably corrupt operator.” — Kirkus Reviews on Hatchet Man “A sharp-edged account…this is a comprehensive indictment of one of the most controversial figures of the Trump administration.” — Publishers Weekly on Hatchet Man “With a mixture of humor, analysis, and expert storytelling, Elie has written much more than a compelling takedown of an unfit attorney general; he also offers a blueprint for how impartial and apolitical justice should be administered in America.” — Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and author of the New York Times bestseller Doing Justice, on Hatchet Man “Elie Honig, like all the best prosecutors, is a master storyteller… This is an essential analysis for anyone committed to understanding the abuses of the Trump administration so we can ensure they never happen again.” — Joyce White Vance, Professor of the Practice of Law at the University of Alabama and NBC and MSNBC legal analyst “With surgical precision, Elie Honig’s Hatchet Man masterfully, lucidly, accurately, and brutally fillets the record of former attorney general William Barr by dissecting the myriad ways Barr corrupted and politicized the Department of Justice. Honig ably draws on his own experiences as a prosecutor to illustrate the ideals of prosecutorial independence and the apolitical administration of justice, and to demonstrate how Barr repeatedly despoiled them. Honig’s book provides essential reading for all who cherish the rule of law in America.” — George Conway, attorney and contributing columnist for the Washington Post, on Hatchet Man “Timely and engrossing, Hatchet Man uses Bill Barr as an example of how privilege and partisanship become corrupting influences at the highest level of power in America. With his trademark excellence and candor, Elie Honig lays out a startling and disturbing case, including the implications within the Department of Justice. I couldn’t put it down.” — Sunny Hostin, Emmy Award–winning journalist, author, and cohost of ABC’s The View, on Hatchet Man

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Book SynopsisWhat happens when we can’t joke about some of the most important stuff in life?In a 2019 study, 40% of people reported censoring themselves out of fear that voicing their views would alienate them from the people they care about most. Those people should probably not read this book in public.In You Can’t Joke About That, Kat Timpf shows why much of the way we talk about sensitive subjects is wrong. We’ve created all the wrong rules. We push ourselves into unnecessary conflicts when we should feel like we’re all in this together. When someone says “you can’t joke about that,” what they really mean is “this is a subject that makes people sad or angry.”Hilariously and movingly, Timpf argues that those subjects are actually the most important to joke about. She shows us we can find healing through humor regarding things you probably don''t want to bring up in polite conversation, like traumatic break-ups, cancer, being broke, Dave Chappelle, rape jokes, aging, ostomy bags, religion, body image, dead moms, religion, the lab leak theory, transgender swimmers, gushing wounds, campus censorship, and bad Christmas presents.  This book is Kat Timpf with her hair down, except since hers is mostly extensions, this book is Kat Timpf with her hair out. Read it because you want to get to know her better. Read it because it’s the best book on free speech and comedy in a generation. Read it because you want to laugh out loud… even at the kind of stuff we’re afraid to say out loud. Just read it, and you’ll be glad you did.

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Book SynopsisThe book that got China right: a prophetic work on how America's policies towards China led it away from liberalization and further towards authoritarianism, from the bestselling author of Rise of the Vulcans[The China Fantasy] predicted, China would remain an authoritarian country, and its success would encourage other authoritarian regimes to resist pressures to change . . . Mann’s prediction turned out to be true. -New York Review of Books, October 2017From Clinton to Bush to Obama, the prevailing belief was engagement with China  would make China more like the West.  Instead, as [James] Mann predicted, China has gone in the opposite direction. -The New York Times, February 2018One of our most perceptive China experts, James Mann wrote The China Fantasy as a vital wake-up call to all who are ignorant of America's true re

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Book SynopsisUkraine has long been a country rent by linguistic differences, ethnic strife and divided political loyalties. This book provides the crucial historical background for understanding the conflict in Ukraine. It also looks beyond the appearance of ethnic strife to the conflict's deeper causes, the clash of different political models and concepts of citizenship.

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Trade ReviewThis book is a major contribution to Europeanist ethnomusicology, and an excellent read for any scholar interested in the political economy of music or in cultural histories of the Cold War. * Ljerka V. Rasmussen, Slavic Review Fall 2018 *Audible States offers a provocative analysis of musical political economy, and it will become essential reading on Eastern Europe and cultural policy. * Matthew Knight, Ethnomusicology 67.3 *Table of ContentsTable of Contents Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Introduction 1 Administering Music 2 Debating Song 3 Cultivating Individuality 4 Voicing Transition 5 Promoting Albania Epilogue: Hearing Like A State Appendix: Research Materials Notes References

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

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

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

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Book SynopsisExamining California's formative years, this innovative study seeks to discover the origins of the California dream and the social, psychological, and symbolic impact it has had not only on Californians but also on the rest of the country.Trade Review"Highly readable....The book is full of surprises, it is constantly challenging....A fine performance."--Pacific Historical Review

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Book SynopsisA bold new study of politics and power in 17th-century France, this book argues that the French Crown centralized its power nationally by changing the way it delegated its royal patronage in the provinces. During this period, the royal government of Paris gradually extended its sphere of control by taking power away from the powerful and potentially disloyal provincial governors and nobility and instead putting it in the hands of provincial power brokers--regionalnotables who cooperated with the Paris ministers in exchange for their patronage. The new alliances between the Crown's ministers and loyal provincial elites functioned as political machines on behalfof the Crown, leading to smoother regional-national cooperation and foreshadowing the bureaucratic state that was to follow.Trade ReviewNo study of Old Regime patronage has dealt with a comparable collection of materials, and none has looked with such care at the complex emotions and interests that made up the patronage bond....The most complete and most insightful reconstitution that we have had of how patronage worked in early modern France. * Journal of Modern History *

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Book SynopsisAfter more than two decades of unprecedented political, social, and religious upheaval, revolutionary thought and activity in Britain continued to thrive even after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. This highly original study, which draws on the reports of both police and informers, follows the radical underground in England from the eve of the Restoration to the collapse of the northern rebellion in 1663. In a tale that winds its way across England andinto Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, Greaves examines how radicals remained united in their common animosity to monarchy, prelacy, taxes, and popery. Although ultimatelyunsuccessful, their conspiracies and rebellions nonetheless fueled the drive for the repression of Nonconformists, prompted the state to cultivate an elaborate network of informers, and heightened the concern for domestic security.Trade Review'efficient narrative work... present much previously unworked material Anthony Fletcher, The Seventeenth Century, Vol.5, No. 2, Autumn 1990

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Book SynopsisExamining California''s formative years, this innovative study seeks to discover the origins of the California dream and the social, psychological, and symbolic impact it has had not only on Californians but also on the rest of the country.Trade ReviewHighly readable....The book is full of surprises, it is constantly challenging....A fine performance. * Pacific Historical Review *[Starr] is bringing much to Western social and literary history. * American Historical Review *One devil of a fine book, a book only a native Californian could write...about the Inner Life of California, the psychic landscape that emerges from the works and ways of her writers, both native and self-adopted. The result is a mature, well-proportioned and marvelously diverse (and diverting) study. * The New York Times Book Review *A very important book. * Joseph H. Krause, California State University, Long Beach *Indispensable...Starr's book does for California what Henry Nash Smith's 'Virgin Land' did for the opening of the West: it demonstrates how idea, myth, misconception and hope shaped and often distorted a developing society. * Los Angeles Times *A vivid portrayal of the rich and varied intellectual forces which helped shape one of our most distinctive regional cultures. * St. Louis Post-Dispatch *An exceptional work, both in thought and magnitude....Both scholars and laymen will find this volume a worthwhile addition to their libraries. * History: Reviews of New Books *A highly original inquiry into the interplay of vision and event.' * Virginia Quarterly Review *A captivating narrative that documents the importance of myth and imagination in attracting Americans to California before World War I. * R.H. Limbaugh, University of the Pacific *

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Book SynopsisCompromised Campus looks at role of the FBI in dealing with universities in regard to loyalty matters. As a participant in these events (Diamond was fired from Harvard in the 1950s), the author brings a special immediacy to these questions, and uses the Freedom of Information Act to ferret out instances of FBI illegal activity which has long been covered up.Trade ReviewDiamond is an indefatigable researcher. His zeal to expose the intrusion of our intelligence agencies on our campuses is a wonder to behold. And Compromised Campus, once and for all, should end the image of the post-war campus as an ivory tower. * Victor Navasky, Editor, The Nation *

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Book SynopsisThe Nullification Crisis of 1832-33 is undeniably the most important major event of Andrew Jackson''s two presidential terms. Attempting to declare null and void the high tariffs enacted by Congress in the late 1820s, the state of South Carolina declared that it had the right to ignore those national laws that did not suit it. Responding swiftly and decisively, Jackson issued a Proclamation reaffirming the primacy of the national government and backed this up with a Force Act, allowing him to enforce the law with troops. Although the conflict was eventually allayed by a compromise fashioned by Henry Clay, the Nullification Crisis raises paramount issues in American political history. The Union at Risk studies the doctrine of states'' rights and illustrates how it directly affected national policy at a crucial point in 19th-century politics. Ellis also relates the Nullification Crisis to other major areas of Jackson''s administration--his conflict with the National Bank, his Indian poliTrade Review"An outstanding addition to the literature on Jacksonian democracy and should become a standard source on the nullification crisis....Ellis has given a fresh interpretation to a familiar topic and has offered a convincing reassessment of the broader significance of the nullification crisis in Jacksonian democracy."--History: Reviews of New Books"A superb study, adding new information and insights into our understanding of the Nullification Controversy of 1832-1833. It is richly textured with valuable details on both the national and state levels and quite outstandingly demonstrates a sophistication of understanding about the political maneuvering that occurred."--Civil War History"Makes a significant contribution to political and constitutional history."--The Historian"Extensively researched and thought-provoking....[Ellis's] discussion has rich detail and much novelty....Its strength lies in its reconstruction of a dramatic historical moment with an informative emphasis upon its constitutional importance."--Georgia Historical Quarterly"A fine study by a masterly political historian."--Merrill D. Peterson, University of Virginia"Ellis has done a superb job in exploring and uncovering new dimensions of an old and often treated topic...The Union at Risk makes a major contribution to historical literature."--James Roger Sharp, Syracuse University"By tracking the Nullification Crisis to a new depth in the politics of the states Ellis shows how the states' rights bulwark of Jefferson's yeoman republic became the bulwark of slavery."--Charles Sellers, University of California, Berkeley"A major addition to the scholarship of the Jackson period."--Choice

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Book SynopsisLone Star Rising, the first volume in Robert Dallek''s biography of LBJ, was hailed as a triumphant portrait of Lyndon Johnson as rich and oversized and complex as the nation that shaped him. Now, in the final volume, Dallek takes us through Johnson''s tumultuous years in the White House, his unprecedented accomplishments there, and the tragic war that would be his downfall. In these pages Johnson emerges as a character of almost Shakespearean dimensions, a man riddled with contradictions, a man of towering intensity and anguished insecurity, of grandiose ambition and grave self-doubt, a man who was brilliant, crude, intimidating, compassionate, overbearing, driven: A tornado in pants. Drawing on hundreds of newly released tapes and extensive interviews with those closest to LBJ--including fresh insights from Ladybird and his press secretary Bill Moyers--Dallek takes us behind the scenes to give us a portrait of Johnson that is at once even-handed and completely engrossing. We see JohnTrade ReviewFlawed Giant has a number of surprising revelations about Johnson's behavior after declining to run for re-election in 1968.--Daily NewsAn historical biographical tour de force. Once again, the author displays extraordinary diligence in thorough research and balanced presentation.... Flawed Giant is far from ordinary biography.--Richmond Times-DispatchLyndon B. Johnson could have been a contender for Mount Rushmore until his Presidency ran aground in Vietnam--a tragedy that is deftly explored in this readable portrait by a noted historian.--PeopleA substantial work, rewarding for those still grappling to understand the 1960's.--The Commercial AppealTo read Robert Dallack's new book on LBJ is to be transported back to the era that he helped make so angry and turbulent.... Flawed Giant captures in unforgiving detail a president whose flaws were tragically larger than life.--Chicago TribuneDallek has written history that has the unresolvability of great drama.--Salon MagazineIt's difficult to imagine a more definitive biography of America's embattled president than the 754-page story of the most important 12 years in the life of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Flawed Giant draws on interviews with hundreds of people closest to Johnson.... this book is exhaustively researched and gracefully written.--Naples Daily NewsDallek writes with clarity and pace. He weaves an enormous amount of detailed information into tightly focused chapters, concluding each with a few crisp, terse paragraphs of summary judgment. It is thus an easy book to read, and frequently compelling.--Philadelphia Inquirer OnlinePoised, scholarly, and readable.--The New YorkerDallek utilizes the mammoth documentation available at the LBJ Library and recently released telephone tapes to provide a comprehensive study of the Johnson presidency that far outdistances earlier works. It is both sympathetic and critical.--The News & ObserverDrawing upon hours of newly released White House tapes and dozens of interviews with people close to Johnson, Mr. Dallek has created, in this volume, a minutely detailed portrait of Johnson as a contradictory and larger-than-life figure, a Shakespearean character: needy, driven, devious, magnanimous and explosive...persuasively shows how Johnson's personality informed his policy making and day-by-day decisions.--The New York TimesUnlike some other recent renditions, this second half of a biography by a professional historian shows a President often enough disproportionate but never monstrous.--The New York Times Book Review, a Notable Book of 1998Taking advantage of thousands of hours of conversation taped in the Oval Office, Dallek lets Johnson speak for himself, and no writer could create a more colorful, entertaining, inspiring, eccentric, or troubling character. To read Dallek is to experience Lyndon Baines Johnson rather than the biographer himself. Dallek is less to his Johnson than a faithful, diligent, and thorough amanuensis. * The Boston Sunday Globe *In Dallek's forthright, balanced portrait, we find a man who was as deeply complex a personality as can be imagined in public life. It is a portrait which in the large scale is familiar--the impotent vice presidency,the anguished JFK succesion, the Great Society, growing Vietnam involvement and the forced abandonment of the White House--while the details emerge fresh in Dallek's research and writing.... The author's short afterword offers a cogent and telling summation of LBJ's career and ought to be must reading for historians.... The best and balanced look we now have at this most unforgettable figure.--IThe State ColumbiaDallek has established himself as the principal biographer of Johnson--and a worthy one.--Austin American-StatesmanIn this second and concluding volume of his biography of the 36th president, noted historian Robert Dallek describes the terrible toll the Vietnam War took on Johnson and suggests that the concerns raised about Johnson's state of mind were well-founded.--Houston ChronicleThe most comprehensive Johnson biography to date.... This superb biography, likely to be the standard, is highly recommended for academic and most public libraries.-- Library JournalA biography, by a leading presidential scholar, so comprehensive in coverage and fair-minded in analysis, as to offer a penetrating account of LBJ's world.--James MacGregor Burns, Williams CollegeBoston University historian Dallek draws from recently released presidential papers and transcripts, as well as interviews with Johnson proteges such as Bill Moyers, to vividly depict LBJ's tumultuous years as vice-president and president.... Dallek is always objective, chasing the facts whether they lead to the detriment or to the advantage of his troubled protagonist. The book is particularly strong in juxtaposing the magisterial, single-handed architect of sweeping domestic reform in the Great-Society with the public-school-educated, provincial legislator from the Texas hill country who felt inadequate when it came to matters of international relations.... Flawed Giant provides a complex yet elegantly rendered portrait of Lyndon Johnson as vice-president, president and man.--Publishers WeeklyDallek's book, Flawed Giant...sheds new light on the pivotal 1968 election, in which Republican Richard Nixon defeated Humphrey by a hair.... Dallek's book, based on interviews with former Johnson and Humphrey aides, offers the first evidence that Johnson ordered wiretaps on Humphrey's phones in the vice presidential office.-- Associated PressFlawed Giant is a lucid, well-written, and judicious study of Lyndon Johnson's days as power broker and president. A monumental Washington saga told by one of America's great historians. A must read!--Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History and Director of the Eisenhower Center, University of New Orleans, author of Lippmann and the American CenturyHistorian Robert Dallek has vividly brought to life one of the true originals of American politics. Avoiding the demonology that has marred other accounts of this fascinating man, Dallek shows not only his failures and his excesses but also his gargantuan accomplishments and subtle mind. Here is a Johnson without tears or cheers but in a clear, steady light.--The Washington Post Book World

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Book SynopsisThe environmental movement has often been accused of being overly negative--trying to stop progress. The Nature of Design, on the other hand, is about starting things, specifically an ecological design revolution that changes how we provide food, shelter, energy, materials, and livelihood, and how we deal with waste. Ecological design is an emerging field that aims to recalibrate what humans do in the world according to how the world works as a biophysical system. Design in this sense is a large concept having to do as much with politics and ethics as with buildings and technology. The book begins by describing the scope of design, comparing it to the Enlightenment of the 18th century. Subsequent chapters describe barriers to a design revolution inherent in our misuse of language, the clockspeed of technological society, and shortsighted politics. Orr goes on to describe the critical role educational institutions might play in fostering design intelligence and what he calls a higher Trade Review"David Orr backs his talk with tactics and deeds that include his own actions. He convinced Oberlin College to construct a science building that 'did not impair human or ecological health somewhere else or at some later time.' That was a big order and not easily done, but he attracted and organized the multi-talented team that did it.... The chapter labeled 'Education, Careers, and Callings' is particularly fine, and presents...solid suggestions for doable changes in education that will be considered radical by many ecologically illiterate educators, but are certainly the way to go. Good stuff, easily read." --J. Baldwin, Whole Earth, Fall 2002"The creativity of thought displayed is refreshing when compared to the hundreds of texts that criticise current practice without offering substitutes. And Orr's understanding of the role pysical surroundings play in human thinking inspires a vital alternative to the technological fundamentalism constricting so much current thought."--EcologistTable of ContentsI. THE PROBLEM OF ECOLOGICAL DESIGN ; II. PATHOLOGIES AND BARRIERS ; III. THE POLITICS OF DESIGN ; IV. DESIGN AS PEDAGOGY ; V. CHARITY, WILDNESS, AND CHILDREN

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Book SynopsisWhen news of the Darfur famine in the ''80s broke in the West, relief experts predicted that, without massive food aid, millions of people would starve to death. Food aid on this scale did not arrive, but millions did not starve to death. Analyzing the famine from the perspective of the rural people in the region who suffered it, Alex de Waal uncovers a number of new and important insights into the dynamics of famine and famine relief. The author argues that deaths during the famine were not due to starvation, but instead were caused by disease, which ensued in the aftermath of the social disruption caused by the famine. In addition, the priority for rural people during the crisis was not to try to save every possible life, but to preserve their way of life for the future. Consequently, he concludes, the huge international relief effort was largely irrelevant to their survival. De Waal''s findings have profound implications, not just for famine relief, but for our very conception of ''Trade Review...an interesting new preface in which he comments on events in the region since the early 1980s...a useful case study of the dynamics of famine. * Foreign Affairs *

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Trade ReviewI have used this book for years * it never fails to engage the students.Nan E. Woodruff, Pennsylvania State University *Excellent for collateral reading in my history and philosophy of education class. * D. Gough, Washington Bible College *An intriguing book well suited to stimulating discussion in an upper-level course. It addresses issues rented to the social and intellectual history of 20th century American. * Daniel B. Murphy, Hanover College *Very valuable in helping students understand the Scopes Trial and modern Creationists. * Lois N. Magner, Purdue University *Very good for supplemental reading in a survey course on religion in America. Lively and stimulating. The book provokes students to get involved. * W. Calvin Smith, University of South Carolina at Aiken *In his brilliant account of the Tennessee 'monkey trial' of 1925, Mr. Ginger gives us a book where history not only records the events of a time but illuminates their significance for all time. * The New Republic *This volume provides a clear, informative and interesting chronicle of the 1925 Scopes trial. It relates the trial to the Zeitgeist of the era. * William Simons, SUNY-Oneonta *

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Book SynopsisIn late October 1846, the last wagon train of that year''s westward migration stopped overnight before resuming its arduous climb over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, unaware that a fearsome storm was gathering force. After months of grueling travel, the 81 men, women and children would be trapped for a brutal winter with little food and only primitive shelter. The conclusion is known: by spring of the next year, the Donner Party was synonymous with the most harrowing extremes of human survival. But until now, the full story of what happened, what it tells us about human nature and about America''s westward expansion, remained shrouded in myth.Drawing on fresh archaeological evidence, recent research on topics ranging from survival rates to snowfall totals, and heartbreaking letters and diaries made public by descendants a century-and-a-half after the tragedy, Ethan Rarick offers an intimate portrait of the Donner party and their unimaginable ordeal: a mother who must divide her family, aTrade ReviewRarick's retelling is solid, shored up with evidence, and complete withthe moral of the story cannibalism buffs look for. * Christine Quigley The Fortean Times *Table of ContentsPROLOGUE ; 1. Jumping off ; 2. Catching Up ; 3. Vexatiously Slow ; 4. Pleasure Trip ; 5. Fine Style ; 6. The Crucial Decision ; 7. Gambling ; 8. A New and Interesting Region ; 9. Unearthly ; 10. One Bad Hill ; 11. Abandoned ; 12. The Mouth of Hell, The River of Life ; 13. A Great Snowy Range ; 14. This Prison ; 15. The First Death ; 16. The Forlorn Hope ; 17. A Low Situation ; 18. Taking the Field ; 19. Our Present Calamity ; 20. Fellowbeings ; 21. From California, or Heaven? ; 22. Threshold of Desperation ; 23. Weeping ; 24. Gruesome Sights ; 25. Terror, Terror ; 26. A Broken Promise ; 27. Alive Yet ; 28. None for Tears ; 29. The Last Man ; 30. A Beautiful Country ; 31. A Day of Renown ; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ; AUTHOR'S NOTE ; NOTES ; SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Book SynopsisCatastrophic risks are much greater than is commonly appreciated. Collision with an asteroid, runaway global warming, voraciously replicating nanomachines, a pandemic of gene-spliced smallpox launched by bioterrorists, and a world-ending accident in a high-energy particle accelerator, are among the possible extinction events that are sufficiently likely to warrant careful study. How should we respond to events that, for a variety of psychological and cultural reasons, we find it hard to wrap our minds around? Posner argues that realism about science and scientists, innovative applications of cost-benefit analysis, a scientifically literate legal profession, unprecedented international cooperation, and a pragmatic attitude toward civil liberties are among the keys to coping effectively with the catastrophic risks.Trade Review...fascinating, disturbing. * Short Book Reviews, Publication of the International Statistical Institute *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; 1. WHAT ARE THE CATASTROHPIC RISKS, AND HOW CATASTROPHIC ARE THEY? ; 2. WHY SO LITTLE IS BEING DONE ABOUT THE CATASTROPHIC RISKS ; 3. HOW TO EVALUATE THE CATASTROPHIC RISKS AND THE POSSIBLE RESPONSES TO THEM ; 4. HOW TO REDUCE THE CATASTROPHIC RISKS ; CONCLUSION

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Book SynopsisIn a troubled world where millions die at the hands of their own governments and societies, some states risk their citizens'' lives, considerable portions of their national budgets, and repercussions from opposing states to protect helpless foreigners. Dozens of Canadian peacekeepers have died in Afghanistan defending humanitarian reconstruction in a shattered faraway land with no ties to their own. Each year, Sweden contributes over $3 billion to aid the world''s poorest citizens and struggling democracies, asking nothing in return. And, a generation ago, Costa Rica defied U.S. power to broker a peace accord that ended civil wars in three neighboring countries--and has now joined with principled peers like South Africa to support the United Nations'' International Criminal Court, despite U.S. pressure and aid cuts. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are alive today because they have been sheltered by one of these nations. Global Good Samaritans looks at the reasons why and how some stTrade ReviewClear, cogent, accessible and balanced.... It makes a very significant and positive contribution to debates regarding human rights and the international order. * Human Rights Law Resource Centre Bulletin *Global Good Samaritans strengthens Alison Brysk's claim to be the most conceptually creative and solidly grounded empirical social scientist writing about human rights. This is a path-breaking book with implications reaching far beyond its focus. It should be read by everyone with a serious interest in foreign policy and international relations. * Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law, Princeton University *The study of human rights has for too long focused excessively, almost obsessively, on U.S. foreign policy. Alison Brysk's careful comparative study of some of the 'nice guys' of international human rights policy decisively shifts the focus. For teachers looking for cases to play off against the United States, and citizens interested in thinking about the broader possibilities of international human rights diplomacy, this will be not merely a welcome, but an essential book. * Jack Donnelly, Professor of International Relations, University of Denver *Alison Brysk's important description of the Good Samaritan state introduces into the debate about the changing global order the reality that it is not just the U.S., Europe and the BRICs who are playing important roles. Smaller states, independent of the size of their armies and their modest economies, have punched well above their weight, introducing important new ideas, standards, practices, institutions and treaties. It is time to pay more attention to the Good Samaritans. * Lloyd Axworthy, Former Foreign Minister of Canada and President of The University of Winnipeg *This is an excellent book. It deserves a wide readership. ...Brysk is to be congratulated on providing a corrective to the all-too-common realist refrain that ethical foreign policies are not possible. Let us hope that scholars, activists, and policymakers pay attention to its conclusions * Perspectives on Politics *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; 1. Introduction: States as Global Citizens ; 2. Why and How They Do it: Reconstructing the National Interest ; 3. The Gold Standard: Sweden ; 4. The Other America: Canada ; 5. The Little Country That Could: Costa Rica ; 6. The Netherlands: Globalization and its Discontents ; 7. Peace Without Justice: Japan ; 8. From Pariah to Promoter: South Africa ; 9. Coalitions of the Caring: Inter-state Networks for Human Rights ; 10. Conclusion: "The World Needs More Canada" ; Bibliography ; Endnotes ; Index

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Book SynopsisAgainst the Modern World is the first history of Traditionalism, an important yet surprisingly little-known twentieth-century anti-modern movement. Comprising a number of often secret but sometimes very influential religious groups in the West and in the Islamic world, it affected mainstream and radical politics in Europe and the development of the field of religious studies in the United States, touching the lives of many individuals. French writer Rene Guénon rejected modernity as a dark age and sought to reconstruct the Perennial Philosophy - the central truths behind all the major world religions. Guénon stressed the urgent need for the West''s remaining spiritual and intellectual elite to find personal and collective salvation in the surviving vestiges of ancient religious traditions. A number of disenchanted intellectuals responded to his call. In Europe, America, and the Islamic world, Traditionalists founded institutes, Sufi brotherhoods, Masonic lodges, and secret societies. STrade ReviewMark Sedgwick's book, Against the Modern World, was published in 2009, but it is compulsive reading for commentary on the contemporary world, beset as it is with the rise of the traditional far right as well as far right religious fundamentalisms. The book spells out some intellectual influences on both traditions of thought. * Alison Assiter, Feminist Dissent *'An exceptionally well-informed book.... It is a marvellous inquiry on the mutual porosity of a wide range of sometimes mutually contradictory anti-modernist ideological trends, from anarchism to fascism, and mutually opposed ilieus, from dissidents to officers of secret services.'--Stéphane A. Dudoignon, Central Eurasian Reader'Against the Modern World is a genuinely startling book. In this massively researched and clearly written study, Mark Sedgwick seeks nothing less than to provide an alternative intellectual history of the twentieth century. Time and again, he offers unexpected connections, stresses the importance of forgotten or underestimated thinkers, and throws new light on the history of esoteric thought and religion. A wonderful contribution.' --Philip Jenkins, author of The Next Christendom: the Coming of Global Christianity'An erudite, graceful, and nuanced study of a movement that has enjoyed far more influence than attention in the modern world that it so despises.'--ParabolaThis is an invaluable contribution to an ongoing and increasingly sophisticated discussion about modernity, the professional study of religion, and the religions themselves. What sets Sedgwick's narrative apart from most all previous accounts is his remarkable historical sweep (from the Italian Renaissance to today), his impressive grasp of the Muslim world, and, perhaps most of all, the humane grace with which he treats his historical subjects. Here they emerge with both their hearts and their warts intact, neither as intellectual fathers to slay nor as cultural gods to put on the proverbial pedestal, but as human beings struggling with some of the deepest religious problems and promises of our modern world. The result is a reading experience through which one comes to realize, with something of a start, that their story happens also to be ours.--Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom: Eroticism and Reflexivity in the Study of MysticismTable of ContentsPROLOGUE; LIST OF MAIN CHARACTERS; THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONALISM; TRADITIONALISM IN PRACTICE; TRADITIONALISM AT LARGE; TRADITIONALISM AND THE FUTURE

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive re-examination of all the literary and epigraphic evidence, old and new, relating to the nature of Athenian imperialism in the fifth century BC.

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Book SynopsisAn Introduction to Constitutional Law discusses the general principles of the United Kingdom constitution from a critical, comparative perspective. It emphasizes the principal characteristics of this uncodified constitution, contrasting it with the documentary constitutions of the United States, France, and Germany. There are fewer checks on the power of government in this country than there are under those constitutions, where courts may review the constitutionality of legislation. This book also discusses the `federal'' constitution of the European Union, as well as examining its impact on UK constitutional law. Its publication is particularly timely, in view of the programme of constitutional reform on which the Labour government has embarked. That makes it imperative to examine critically the principles of the constitution and explore whether anything may be learnt from the experience of other countries. The book offers a succinct and up to date account of British constitutional lTrade ReviewProfessor Barendt has written an excellent introductory text which examines the basic principles of the United Kingdom constitution...Overall, Barendt has written a concise and erudite analysis of the theoritical concepts and practical features of our contempory constitution. Students of public law will find it an invaluable complimentary work to Peter Cane's established book on Administrative Law in the same Clarendon Law Series./Alastair Mowbray/C.J.Q., Vol 18, July, Sweet & Maxwell 1999.In a welcome addition ot the constitutional law and political sciences libraries, Barendt's IAn Introduction to Constitutional LawI provides a critical overview of the principles and structure of the United Kingdom constitution. / Barendt makes interesting references to the constitutions of other nations./ Diana Woodhouse, Parliamentary Affairs, April 1999.Table of Contents1. Constitutions ; 2. The United Kingdom Constitution ; 3. Federalism and Devolution ; 4. The Constitution of the European Union ; 5. Parliament and Legislative Power ; 6. Government and Executive Power ; 7. The Courts and Judicial Power ; 8. Political Parties and Elections ; 9. Constitutions in Times of War and Emergency

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Book SynopsisThis integrated account of French political experience describes three key features: the role of political ideas; the nature of political movements; and the significance of history in creating and sustaining divisions among political groups.Trade Reviewthe book continually beguiles the reader by the skill and economy with which it explains complex matters in a way that is both intelligible to the relative newcomer to French politics and is a lesson to seasoned travellers on how to combine simplicity of exposition with fidelity to the subtleties of the subject ... this book is a valuable addition to the surprisingly lean list of works that successfully make sense of political traditions of the last two centuries in France without oversimplification or distortion. It would seem destined for a long life as staple student reading. * French History *`What Hazareesingh has managed is a work of real quality that engages the study of modern France in three distinctive keys. He selects and discusses, deftly and with illustration, what he sees as the main strands of modern French political culture; he locates these firmly in their history, using that history as a source of enlightenment without slipping into the trap of historicism; and he takes the opportunity to propose some subtle but succinct analyses of the political traditions in question. In short, his book lies at the difficult intersection of political science, intellectual history and political theory and combines the usually disparate approaches of these sub-disciplines with unusual confidence and success ... The result is impressive.' Tony R. Judt, New York Universitythe author is to be congratulated on the broad coverage he provides...a well written and entertaining book which will be of use to all those with an interest in the developmetn of France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Always taking care to define his terms, the author presents an incisive and wide-ranging analysis of government, political movements and ideas. ..this is a stimulating work which deserves a wide readership. * The Historian *`This is a very clear and helpful book, penetrating and succinct.' Robert Gilda, Merton College`The only currently available book of its kind on the subject and succinctly-written.' B.J. Criddle, University of Aberdeen`A very interesting book and accessible enough for 1st/2nd year undergraduates.' Nick Hewlett, Oxford Brookes University`Excellent and well written study. Complements government and institutions oriented texts supremely well.' Raymond Kuhn, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London`This is an excellent book, written in a lively and interesting way. It should stimulate students at all levels.' Professor Malcolm Anderson, University of Edinburgh`Excellent background reading for the Politics strand in the School of Modern Languages.' David Curtis, University of Hull`This is a really interesting and rather different text on French politics.' Paul Webb, Brunel University`The book is extremely clearly written and covers areas not really discussed elsewhere.' Professor Anne Stevens, University of Kent`An excellent, intelligent and up-to-date analysis of complex political themes that form the bed-rock of modern French political culture.' Dr J.F.V. Keiger, University of Salford`An unusually lucid book on French history, culture and thought.' B. Boyce, University of LiverpoolShould help to illuminate some of the specifies of French political culture and stimulate further interest. * Times Literary Supplement *A refreshing and distinctive approach to the unravelling of the complexities of the French political system ... a clearly defined overview of the state of France today ... an important contribution to any study of modern French political history, and there is much of interest to whet the reader's appetite ... a stimulating book. * Modern and Contemporary France *A series of essays, all of which contain interesting insights ... we must be grateful for what is here. For those already familiar with the evolution of modern France, Sudhir Hazareesingh's study should help to illuminate some of the specifies of French political culture and stimulate further interest. * Times Literary Supplement *...the most interesting parts of the book deal with particular traditions. The appeal of this book lies in its being well written, in a constant willingness to challenge accepted orthodoxies, and in its preference for tackling large and difficult problems rather than more easily posed trivial ones. * Political Studies *It is necessary ... to have at least some background knowledge to both French history and French government to obtain the most from reading this book ... those with that background ... should find that this book gives them a different slant and approach to their studies, which should make the reading of it a stimulating exercise. * Talking Politics *A well written and entertaining book which will be of use to all those with an interest in the development of France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Always taking care to define his terms, the author presents an incisive and wide-ranging analysis of government, political movements, and ideas ... this is a stimulating work which deserves a wide readership. * The Historian *

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

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

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Book SynopsisFrom antiquity until the nineteenth century, there have been two types of state: macro-states, each dotted with a number of cities, and regions broken up into city-states, each consisting of an urban centre and its hinterland. A region settled with interacting city-states constituted a city-state culture and Polis opens with a description of the concepts of city, state, city-state, and city-state culture, and a survey of the 37 city-state cultures so far identified. Mogens Herman Hansen provides a thoroughly accessible introduction to the polis (plural: poleis), or ancient Greek city-state, which represents by far the largest of all city-state cultures. He addresses such topics as the emergence of the polis, its size and population, and its political organization, ranging from famous poleis such as Athens and Sparta through more than 1,000 known examples.Trade ReviewThis book will help those venturing for the first time outside of the Athenocentric realm of polis-studies; it provides an overview and introduction to comparative studies in the city-state and 'city-state culture. * Classical Outlook *Table of ContentsI. CITY-STATES IN WORLD HISTORY ; II. THE CITY-STATE CULTURE IN ANCIENT GREECE ; III. CONCLUSION

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Book SynopsisThe picture of Brussels-based bureaucrats exercising wide-ranging, arbitrary executive powers with no accountability is one of the favourite images conjured by Eurosceptics across the political spectrum. What truth is there in the image? This book aims to bring the EU''s executive powers out of the shadows by mapping the evolution and current form of the EU''s various executive actors, their powers, and the mechanisms for holding them accountable. In doing so it provides a rich understanding of the way in which the EU''s institutional and legal framework fits within national constitutional presumptions about how power should be controlled and accountability achieved.Covering both the political executive and the administrative executive at the EU institutional level, the book analyses their relationship with national executive power, and traces the historical evolution of executive order in Europe from the Peace of Westphalia through classic inter-governmental organizations to the allegTrade ReviewThis book takes a holistic approach; rather than providing an in-depth analysis of a particlar institution, Curtin analyses the political and administrative branches of the Council and the Commission as well as non-majoritarian agencies. It is the inclusive approach that makes this well written and clearly structured book stand out from other studies in the area. * Helena Ekelund, University of Nottingham, Political Studies Review *Table of ContentsI TOPOGRAPHY AND LAYERED SEDIMENTS; II TIDES OF EU REFORM; III A LIVING EU CONSTITUTION

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