Politics, Philosophy & Society Books

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Book Synopsis'A classic' - Simon Kuper, Financial Times'Brilliant' - James O'Brien, author of How to be RightThe five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world.Since time immemorial, a powerful dark force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness.Trade ReviewA classic * Simon Kuper, Financial Times *Brilliant. * James O'Brien, author of How to be Right *A masterly book * Nassim Nicholas Taleb *This is a very funny book, but Carlo Cipolla's underlying insight really matters: there's a lot of stupidity about, including in society's highest circles – and the stupid wield a surprising amount of power, because the rest of us can never guess what idiotic thing they'll do next. We need to get wise to stupidity, and Cipolla's drily witty rules are a great place to start. * Oliver Burkeman *Cipolla’s subtle tongue-in-cheek humour made this book an underground classic in Italy. Today, under current worldwide political trends, it reads more like black humour. Keep in mind: reliable statistical data shows that 98% of the people seriously believe that they are far less stupid than the average. * Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics *

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Book SynopsisWritten in 1957, when North African independence movements were gaining momentum, The Colonizer and the Colonized studies the enduring legacy, political as much as psychological, of colonisation throughout the world. Albert Memmi depicts colonialism as a disease of the European but crucially he demonstrates that colonialism destroys both the colonizer and the colonized, providing penetrating insights into colonial inheritance and resistance that remain as relevant today. One of the great works of twentieth-century political thought, The Colonizer and the Colonized speaks to experiences in the Global South as well as European countries such as Britain and France, who are still struggling with their imperial pasts. In revealing the mechanisms of colonial oppression, it also highlights the origins of all oppression of one group by another. This edition includes introductions by two of the greatest writers of the twentieth-century: South African novelist and Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer, and Jean-Paul Sartre.Trade ReviewWidely influential -- New YorkerEnlightening, disturbing and thoughtful. * Glasgow Herald *Confiscated by colonial police throughout the world since its 1957 publication, The Colonizer and the Colonized is an important document of our times, an invaluable warning for all future generations. * Los Angeles Times *The subject of colonialism has rarely been treated more lucidly and devastatingly than in this book * Library Journal *The sickness of the world ... cannot be healed by traditional masters of the world alone. * Nadine Gordimer *Memmi's analysis of the sociological and psychological effects of colonialism had and retains a wider application. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisBy the middle of the twenty-first century, war, famine, economic collapse, and climate catastrophe had toppled the world's governments. In the 2050s, the insurrections reached the nerve center of global capitalism—New York City. This book, a collection of interviews with the people who made the revolution, was published to mark the twentieth anniversary of the New York Commune, a radically new social order forged in the ashes of capitalist collapse.Here is the insurrection in the words of the people who made it, a cast as diverse as the city itself. Nurses, sex workers, antifascist militants, and survivors of all stripes recall the collapse of life as they knew it and the emergence of a collective alternative. Their stories, delivered in deeply human fashion, together outline how ordinary people's efforts to survive in the face of crisis contain the seeds of a new world.Trade Review “A really fascinating glimpse into a future New York City after a revolution has transformed the US and much of the world into an antifascist, communist utopia…necessary and empowering, providing a hypothetical foundation for an ideal future.“—Buzzfeed, "34 New Summer Books You Won’t Be Able To Put Down" "Every socialist needs to read this book. Every abolitionist, every Marxist, every anarchist, every revolutionary needs to read this book. Every person who has ever wondered how the world will function after the final retirement of the market, the commodity form, money, wages, rent, coercive gender roles, prisons, police, class, nation states, borders, profit, and in general the dominating power of any humans over any others…It’s a book that will engage seasoned organizers, well-read academics, and street-level agitators. It also could serve quite well as a dazzling introduction for newly politicizing folks who would benefit from a clear end-goal and would want to know what could be accomplished by the movements for human liberation.”—Spectre Journal“[Everything for Everyone] challenges us to not just write fiction about revolution but to make books that practice the kinds of collaboration necessary to make revolution…This book is an uncompromising, anticolonial, profoundly queer and trans, buoying, addictive, and wholly original creation…Everything for Everyone has no patience with docile truisms about how we are supposed to write. Instead, it’s a shot across the bow for contemporary fiction, raising the bar on how to crystallize utopian longings in literary form.“—BOMB Magazine“But if you come to Everything for Everyone for the politics, stay for the writing. Barring Vladimir Nabokov in Pale Fire, I can’t think of another author who uses an academic form to achieve a literary result so successfully. Each of the interviewees and interviewers has an entirely unique and authentic voice. The book is utterly plausible as the archival project it claims to be, while also telling gripping stories and slipping in details to delight sci-fi fans (a space elevator in Quito! Sentient algae-based AI! Augmented reality implants for dance parties!).“—TruthOut“Charts dizzying, delightful new futures for science fiction, urban planning, and engaged social practice. I spent 15 years as a community organizer and never dreamed of seeing something that so bravely, brilliantly combines liberational nonfiction and radical documentary with the exuberance of the best speculative storytelling.“ —Sam J. Miller, Nebula-Award-winning author of Blackfish City and The Art of Starving“Eman Abdelhadi and M. E. O’Brien’s tall tales of the future draw on real experiences of the past and present. The book’s multiple narratives, equal parts hope and pain, merge into a prayer for collective survival and for the eventual flourishing of our powers of love and invention. Voices from as-yet-unlived lives instill faith that our becoming is not yet done. Abdelhadi and O’Brien have created a vivid image of the possibility that we will one day make a home of the world.” —Hannah Black “The special magic of Everything for Everyone is that it combines the genres of the oral history interview with speculative utopian fiction. Oral histories can show how in their everyday lives ordinary people can make the world. Utopian fiction can show the worlds we might want to be making. Every cook, or sex worker, can govern. And this is the life they might build from the ruins of this civilization, such as it is. Such a pleasure to feel one could be making the world over with them.” —McKenzie Wark, author of The Beach Beneath the Street “Eman Abdelhadi and M. E. O’Brien are changing the game of what the novel is and what the novel can be. Much as James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Imani Perry did with the epistolary form in non-fiction, Everything for Everyone uses speculative oral history to expand and explode the limits of what fiction can do. Their imagined oral histories from many parties help us understand the present from many possible points of view in the future looking back, like Rashômon meets House of Leaves. In Everything for Everyone, binaries (of male-versus-female, fiction-versus-non-fiction, past-versus-future) are irrelevant compared to something much more interesting and important that Abdelhadi and O’Brien seek to illustrate: truth, and the way we might find liberation in it.” —Steven W. Thrasher, author of The Viral Underclass“I had no idea I was a post-revolution speculative fiction fangirl till I started reading Everything for Everyone, which kicks off with a food riot at the Hunts Point Market led by a sex worker. I’m really bummed out by the fact that I’ll be 82—hopefully!—when their fictional revolution kicks off and dead by the time the dust settles. Exciting to read something hopeful, intersectional and an antidote to our dystopian doldrums.” —Sherry Wolf, author of Sexuality and Socialism: History, Politics and Theory of LGBT Liberation “In this genre-bending work of utopian fiction, O'Brien and Abdelhadi imagine a world that might emerge from the ashes of our own. Part speculative social science, part abolitionist manifesto, it explores the social forms and political possibilities of life after capitalism—the novel ways of organizing life, doing gender, and coping with the psychic costs of transformation that may follow the inevitable crises of capital and climate that lie in our future. Like the best utopian fiction, Everything for Everyone is also a startling work of political theory: it gives us the opportunity, as all utopias do, to learn about our own desires and hopes for a way out of our current conjuncture.” —Katrina Forrester, author of In the Shadow of Justice “Leftists are often accused of being against everything, but not having a vision of what we're fighting for. Everything for Everyone is a corrective, a sweeping vision of the type of world and society we imagine can and will provide for us all, abundantly. Not all beautiful novels are invested in social restructuring, and not all social restructuring is envisaged in novels, but here we have exactly their meeting point: a beautiful novel bristling with the necessary changes we must make to survive on this planet. The future has sex in it, and community; it has food and labor and joy. It has trauma and memories of the harm, the nightmare, of capitalist precarity. The future is sure to exist; will it have us in it? Everything for Everyone imagines that it will, and, given this remarkable vision, this perpetual possibility, it's now our work to live up to it.” —Joseph Osmundson, author of Virology“Everything for Everyone is a window into a possible future and a powerful antidote to our present moment’s ubiquitous moods of anti-utopianism, despair, nostalgia, and capitalist-realism…this must-read speculative fiction…chronicle[s] the first stages of the abolition of the family; the history of the ecological restoration projects and interplanetary technologies that might render our planet liveable and leisurely; the invention of real democracy; and the armed conflagrations that were necessary along the way. So, if you have ever wondered to yourself, What will the triumph of indigenous land struggles, the overthrow of colonial occupations, and the fall of capitalism look like? Which parts of New York would be at the forefront of a communist revolution, and which would double down into religious, hyper-patriarchal fascism? Whose knowledges of facilitation, healing, conflict resolution and partying will help the population heal from its collective trauma?—then this superb novel is the book for you.”—Sophie Lewis, author of Abolish the Family: A Manifesto of Care and Liberation

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisOne of the most remarkable philosophical works of the nineteenth century, The Sickness Unto Death is also famed for the depth and acuity of its modern psychological insights. Writing under the pseudonym Anti-Climacus, Kierkegaard explores the concept of ''despair'', alerting readers to the diversity of ways in which they may be described as living in this state of bleak abandonment - including some that may seem just the opposite - and offering a much-discussed formula for the eradication of despair. With its penetrating account of the self, this late work by Kierkegaard was hugely influential upon twentieth-century philosophers including Karl Jaspers, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. The Sickness unto Death can be regarded as one of the key works of theistic existentialist thought - a brilliant and revelatory answer to one man''s struggle to fill the spiritual void.Table of ContentsThe Sickness Unto Death Translator's NoteIntroductionThe Sickness Unto DeathPrefaceIntroductionPart One: The Sickness Unto Death Is DespairPart Two: Despair Is SinNotes

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Book SynopsisRoland Barthes was born in 1915 and studied French literature and classics at the University of Paris. After teaching French at universities in Romania and Egypt, he joined the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, where he devoted himself to research in sociology and lexicology. He was a professor at the College de France until his death in 1980.Trade ReviewLove, here, is a state of the imagination, with the lover desperate to interpret the dire ambiguities inseparable from his role. This is a speculative book, and a melancholy one, an exploration of the idiom of anxiety. Barthes's love is a passion in the old, suffering sense of the word * Observer *May be the most detailed, painstaking anatomy of desire that we are ever likely to see or need again... All readers will find something they recognize in Barthes' recreation of the lover's fevered consciousness: The book is an ecstatic celebration of love and language and...readers interested in either or both...will enjoy savouring its rich and dark delights * Washington Post Book World *Barthes's work, along with that of Wilde and Valéry, gives being an aesthete a good name... Defending the senses, he never betrayed the mind -- Susan Sontag

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Book SynopsisEuthyphro/Apology/Crito/Phaedo''Nothing can harm a good man either in life or after death''The trial and condemnation of Socrates on charges of heresy and corrupting young minds is a defining moment in the history of classical Athens. In tracing these events through four dialogues, Plato also developed his own philosophy of a life guided by self-responsibility. Euthyphro finds Socrates outside the court-house, debating the nature of piety, while the Apology is his robust rebuttal of the charges against him. In the Crito, awaiting execution in prison, Socrates counters the arguments of friends urging him to escape. Finally, in the Phaedo, he is shown calmly confident in the face of death.Translated by HUGH TREDENNICK and HAROLD TARRANT with an Introduction and notes by HAROLD TARRANTTable of ContentsThe Last Days of SocratesChronologyPrefaceGeneral IntroductionFurther ReadingA Note on the TextsEuthyphro—HolinessSocrates in ConfrontationApology—Justice and Duty (i)Socrates Speaks at his TrialCrito—Justice and Duty (ii)Socrates in PrisonPhaedo—Wisdom and the SoulSocrates about to DiePostscript: The Theory of Ideas in the PhaedoNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe PERFECT GIFT for your long-suffering wife or prospective bride. Or, for any fool of a husband or seriously deluded groom-to-be who hasn''t yet understood what he''s signed up for.-------------------- Tina is getting married. It is the best day of her life.Next year, she will claim that becoming a mother was the best day of her life, but only because she was on some very strong drugs.Neither is true. The best day of her life was on her eighth birthday, when she got a yellow bike. --------------------The wife likes surprises.Her favourite sort is a surprise birthday party.It is the husband''s job to organise this surprise for her, and to keep her informed of every detail about it.--------------------This delightful book is the latest in the series of Ladybird books which have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the w

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN THE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE THE PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE THE WAVERTON GOOD READ AWARD A ZOE BALL ITV BOOK CLUB PICK''REMARKABLE'' Sarah Perry''EXTRAORDINARILY IMMERSIVE'' Guardian''A REALLY, REALLY GOOD READ'' BBC R2 Book Club''''LYRICAL'' Stylist''POETIC'' Daily Mail1627. In a notorious historical event, pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted 400 people into slavery in Algiers. Among them a pastor, his wife, and their children.In her acclaimed debut novel Sally Magnusson imagines what history does not record: the experience of Asta, the pastor''s wife, as she faces her losses with the one thing left to her - the stories from home - and forges an ambiguous bond with the man who bought her. Uplifting, moving, and sharply witty, The Sealwoman''s Gift speakTrade ReviewFrom the first, it leaps from the page... I found myself absolutely persuaded by Ásta's extraordinary journey from the harsh Icelandic coast to the strange and splendid palaces of Algiers. I enjoyed and admired it in equal measure * Sarah Perry, author of THE ESSEX SERPENT *A remarkable feat of imagination that transports the reader to 17th-century Iceland and Algiers ... an extraordinarily immersive read that emphasises the power of stories, examining themes of motherhood, identity, exile and freedom. Through her deft storytelling, Magnusson takes us on a journey that not only crosses continents, but encompasses tragedy and rich sensuality. -- Sian Norris * Guardian *An evocative, striking new novel ... which brings an Icelandic historical tragedy, and in particular, Icelandic woman Asta Egilsson, back to pulsing life. -- Stephen McGinty * Times *Moving, accomplished ... Richly imagined and energetically told, The Sealwoman's Gift is a powerful tale of loss and endurance * Sunday Times *Magnusson has certainly done her research, and she has found in the silences of the historical record the space for a novel that moves gracefully between what is known and what must be imagined...Much of the pleasure of reading The Sealwoman's Gift is that of a good yarn well told. * TLS *Fascinating ... a really, really good read * BBC Radio 2 Book Club *Sally Magnusson has turned this grim true story into a page-turner...beautifully told. * Radio Times *Sally Magnusson has taken an amazing true event and created a brilliant first novel. It's an epic journey in every sense: although it's historical, it's incredibly relevant to our world today. * Zoe Ball Book Club *Sally Magnusson writes compellingly of the psychological and physical shocks of being uprooted. Impeccably researched, this is a poetic retelling of Icelandic history. * Daily Mail *Sally Magnusson's wonderfully accomplished first novel is an enthralling mixture of recovered history and the imagining of lost lives. It's a delightful piece of storytelling which is also a story about telling stories ... In short, this is the best sort of historical novel * Scotsman *This is the best sort of historical novel. It respects the past and brings it alive. * The Scotsman *Icelandic history has been brought to extraordinary life. I was swept up in the story and the vivid plight of people taken away from everything they knew and understood. An accomplished and intelligent novel. * Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, author of WHY DID YOU LIE? *'Sally Magnusson has taken a little-known historical event - the Barbary corsair raid on Iceland in 1627 - and produced a moving story of suffering and redemption. Her tale of Ásta, the Reverend's wife, indomitable survivor of tragedy and heartbreak, is vivid and compelling' -- Adam NicholsA rich, captivating work * Mail on Sunday *Engrossing, atmospheric * Sunday Express *Compelling stuff * Good Housekeeping *A lyrical tale full of the Icelandic stories that Asta tells her children and her kidnappers * Stylist *Remarkably accomplished...The true story behind the novel is almost preposterously epic, yet she brings it to life by inhabiting the minds of her characters -- David Robinson * The Scotsman *Sally Magnusson's wonderfully accomplished first novel is an enthralling mixture of recovered history and the imagining of lost lives. It's a delightful piece of storytelling which is also a story about telling stories. * Yorkshire Post *A compelling read...While a historical novel, it also contains contemporary resonances, particularly in the way it examines how different people integrate into a society that is completely foreign to them -- Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller *An astonishing novel that will stay with me for a long time...Asta Thorsteinsdottir is a truly remarkable and resourceful heroine -- Waterstones Book BlogAn impressive debut from Magnusson who seems to have inherited her Icelandic ancestors' talent for beguiling storytelling * The Herald *Magnusson's prose never falters ... What an exceptional and moving fiction debut this is. * Elle Thinks blog *An engrossing and accomplished novel * The Last Word Book Review *There's something so wonderful about being wholly drawn into a richly imagined historical novel that both illuminates a somewhat forgotten or not-widely-known period of history and gives voice to people who are only glancingly referred to in the history books ... this novel brilliantly engages with many of the heartrending conflicts a woman in Asta's position must have faced while also powerfully illuminating the cultural importance of storytelling and the complicated dynamics of love * Lonesome Reader *Packed with detail and characters, Sally's immersive prose and precise observations entwine you in the action and emotion of this dramatic tale. An absolute triumph of imagination * Press Association *Inspired by the country's literary sagas, the novel's heart-wrenching fiction is built around the bloodied bones of fact, words hauled from written records of the 17th century * Sunday Post *Much more than simply a vividly-imagined historical novel, but a personally touching meditation on the choices we're forced to make in life * Lonesome Reader *Captivating * Scots Magazine *This psychological depth, along with engaging prose and meticulous research into the history on which this novel is based, makes The Sealwoman's Gift another contender for my books of the year * Annethology *Excellent * Dumfries and Galloway Life *accomplished...enthralling...This is the best sort of historical novel -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *I have been banging the drum for The Sealwoman's Gift for a solid year now, still recommending it to every person I possibly can - and it was the first book on this list, the only absolute certainty from the beginning. A stunning debut novel, it is based on the true story of 17th century Icelanders who were kidnapped and sold as slaves in North Africa. The writing is beautiful, the sense of time and place once again at the top of the author's list of many talents, and the magical-realism of the Sealwoman utterly convincing. * Cultured Vultures *

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Book SynopsisRead Shakespeare’s plays in all their brilliance—and understand what every word means! Don’t be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard’s plays accessible and enjoyable.Each No Fear guide contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters, with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary

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Book SynopsisIn his philosophical reflections on the art of lingering, acclaimed cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han argues that the value we attach today to the vita activa is producing a crisis in our sense of time. Our attachment to the vita activa creates an imperative to work which degrades the human being into a labouring animal, an animal laborans. At the same time, the hyperactivity which characterizes our daily routines robs human beings of the capacity to linger and the faculty of contemplation. It therefore becomes impossible to experience time as fulfilling. Drawing on a range of thinkers including Heidegger, Nietzsche and Arendt, Han argues that we can overcome this temporal crisis only by revitalizing the vita contemplativa and relearning the art of lingering. For what distinguishes humans from other animals is the capacity for reflection and contemplation, and when life regains this capacity, this art of lingering, it gains in time and space, in duration and vastness.Trade Review"The Scent of Time describes what may be the condition of Byung-Chul Han's unique international success among philosophers writing today. Starting out with the concept of 'dyschronicity,' he analyzes a new, centrifugal form of time as a premise of existence which no longer allows for marked contours, beginnings, or endings – but to those lively duration we can react with fresh modes of contemplative life." —Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Stanford UniversityTable of ContentsPreface 1. Non-Time 2. Time without a Scent 3. The Speed of History 4. From the Age of Marching to the Age of Whizzing 5. The Paradox of the Present 6. Fragrant Crystal of Time 7. The Time of the Angel 8. Fragrant Clock: An Short Excursus on Ancient China 9. The Round Dance of the World 10. The Scent of Oak Wood 11. Profound Boredom 12. Vita Contemplativa Notes

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Book Synopsis Exam Board: Scottish curriculum, CfE, SQA Level: Third level, BGE Subject: Maths

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Book SynopsisThe humane yet devastating critique of how modern society is organized with the brutal few clinging onto their wealth and privileges at the expense of the manyPeter Kropotkin's anarchist texts had a fundamental impact on 19th and 20th century radicals of all kinds. These essays from The Conquest of Bread are bravura examples of his optimistic and angry vision of a world in which the just actions of the many can destroy the grip of the few.Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives--and upended them. Now Penguin brings you a new set of the acclaimed Great Ideas, a curated library of selections from the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the beautiful bestselling book about a beautiful friendship . . .''James has a way to speak to your soul. This book is nothing short of comforting and heartwarming'' VEX KING''While the drawings have the charm of Winnie-the-Pooh, the captions have the depth of ancient proverbs'' GUARDIAN''A beautifully illustrated book which draws on tender moments. Exquisite'' DR RANGAN CHATTERJEE________A guiding light in the darker months, Big Panda and Tiny Dragon is the beautifully illustrated and mindful journey of two friends through the seasons, inspired by Buddhist philosophy''Which is more important,'' asked Big Panda, ''the journey or the destination?''''The company,'' said Tiny Dragon.Friends Big Panda and Tiny Dragon journey through the seasons of the year together, day and night, in rain and in sun. Travelling through nature, they find hope and inspiration in the world around them, realising that even in the darkest of days, Spring will always return.Feel the calming influence of Big Panda, who reminds us of the bigger picture while appreciating the simplicity of small moments.Explore your surroundings with the inquisitive eye of Tiny Dragon, our friend who is big in heart if not in stature.And on their journey through the ever-changing seasons, join these two friends as they learn how to live in the moment, be at peace with uncertainty, and find the strength to overcome life''s obstacles, together.Inspired by Buddhist philosophy and spirituality, the story of these whimsical characters makes the perfect gift for anyone looking for a little hope and comfort.________''The two friends often find themselves lost but discover beautiful sights they never would have found if they had gone the right way. While the drawings have the charm of Winnie-the-Pooh, the captions have the depth of ancient proverbs'' GUARDIANTrade ReviewIt features the two friends, who often find themselves lost but discover beautiful sights they never would have found if they had gone the right way. While the drawings have the charm of Winnie-the-Pooh, the captions have the depth of ancient proverbs * Guardian *James has a way to speak to your soul. This book is nothing short of comforting and heartwarming -- Vex KingA beautifully illustrated book which draws on tender moments. Exquisite -- Dr Rangan Chatterjee * BBC Radio 2 *

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Book SynopsisA fascinating exploration of the linkages between ancestral inheritance, diasporic belonging, and our climate future... I read it in one sitting, which took me on a moving and often unexpected journey' Aube Rey Lescure''Part of me knew what the hungry ghosts wanted all along, what they still want. It is not vengeance. No, they want something else, but we refuse to listen. They want us to face up to our broken obligations.'' Every spring during the Qingming Festival, people return to their home villages in China to sweep the tombs of their ancestors, making offerings of food and incense to prevent them from becoming hungry ghosts that could cause misfortune. Yet for the past century, a time ruptured by war and revolution, many tombs have been left unattended. Following a record year of wildfires, Alice Mah returns to her family's rice village in South China, and discovers that her ancestors are almost forgotten, and there are no tombs left to sweep. Instead, there are incalculable clan debts to be paid. Here Mah chronicles her journey from the rice villages of South China to her home in post-industrial England, through the Chinatowns of Western Canada where she grew up, to the isles and industry of Scotland where she now lives. As years pass and fires rage on, she becomes increasingly troubled by her ancestors' neglected graves. Her research on pollution gives way to growing eco-anxiety, culminating in a crisis of spiritual belief. A haunting blend of memoir, cultural history and environmental exploration, Red Pockets confronts the hungry ghosts of our neglected ancestors, while searching for an acceptable offering. What do we owe to past and future generations? What do we owe to the places that we inhabit?

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Book SynopsisA guide to critical thinking in the ''post-truth'' era, from the author of Sunday Times best-seller The Organized Mind We live in a world of information overload. Facts and figures on absolutely everything are at our fingertips, but are too often biased, distorted, or outright lies. From unemployment figures to voting polls, IQ tests to divorce rates, we''re bombarded by seemingly plausible statistics on how people live and what they think. Daniel Levitin teaches us how to effectively ask ourselves: can we really know that? And how do they know that? In this eye-opening, accessible guide filled with fascinating examples and practical takeaways, acclaimed neuroscientist Daniel Levitin shows us how learning to understand statistics will enable you to make better, smarter judgements on the world around you.Trade ReviewIn a post-truth world, Levitin's book is an invaluable primer on how to sort the fact from the fiction * Sunday Times *The world is awash with data, but not always with accurate information. [Levitin] does a terrific job of illustrating the difference between the two with precision and delightful good humour -- Charles Wheelan, author of Naked EconomicsDeservedly a bestseller -- Independent on 'The Organized Mind'Smart, important, exquisitely written -- Daniel Gilbert on 'The Organized Mind'The Organized Mind is the perfect antidote to the effects of information overload. Loved it. -- Scott Turow, New York Times bestselling author of 'Identical' and 'Innocent' on 'The Organized Mind'Daniel Levitin's field guide is a critical thinking primer for our shrill, data-drenched age. From the way averages befuddle to the logical fallacies that sneak by us, every page is enlightening -- Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit and Smarter, Faster, BetterValuable tools for anyone willing to evaluate claims and get to the truth of the matter * Kirkus Reviews *As a lucid guide to critical thinking about statistics, information and assertion it is profoundly welcome * Observer *

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Book SynopsisAmerican Book Fest Best Health Book (Mental Health & Psychology) Award Winner 2018Cutting-edge and accessible psychotherapy to put us back in touch with our emotions - and fast''I loved it ... I have drawn my own picture of the change triangle - both fascinating and useful'' - Cathy RentzenbrinkWe were all taught that our thoughts affect our emotions, but in truth it is largely the other way around: we have to experience our emotions to truly understand our thoughts, and our full selves. This is why we should think not only about cognitive behavioural therapy or medication, but also about our emotions, when addressing psychological suffering. In It''s Not Always Depression, pioneering psychotherapist Hilary Jacobs Hendel reveals the most effective techniques for putting us back in touch with the emotions we too often deny - methods which can be used by anyone, any time, anywhere. Drawing on stories from her own practTrade ReviewThe bottom line is this: if you're a human, I recommend that you read this book. -- Diana Fosha, the founder of AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) and the author of the book's foreword.I loved it ... I have drawn my own picture of the change triangle. -- Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love and A Manual for HeartacheWhat is unique in this book is Hendel's mission to take psychotherapeutic tools and present and rework them in a way that can be used by individuals . . . like Penn and Teller showing us how a magic trick is really done . . . she is able to translate the method in ways that individuals can use for themselves . . . the genius of this book is converting formal psychotherapeutic strategies into a self-help toolbox -- Alan Eppel, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Supervisor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario

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Book SynopsisJohn Lewis-Stempel is a farmer and 'Britain's finest living nature writer' (The Times). His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers Woodston, The Running Hare and The Wood. He is the only person to have won the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing twice, with Meadowland and Where Poppies Blow. In 2016 he was named Magazine Columnist of the Year for his column in Country Life. He farms cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Traditionally.Trade ReviewA charming essay...packed with facts and literary asides...Lewis-Stempel has a wonderful way with words...he also packs the book with the singing, ringing words of others. -- Robbie Millen * The Times *Best of the year's Natural History: one of our finest nature writers with an essay length portrait of a bird that has fascinated humans for millennia. * Mail on Sunday *John Lewis-Stempel is the hottest nature writer around. -- John McEwen * Spectator *In this short, beautiful little book, the farmer and nature writer introduces us to the wisdom of owls.. every question you might ask ... is answered with economy and insight and the cultural references and quotations are as rich as you would expect from this brilliant writer. -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail *John is one of this country's greatest nature writers...this is a unique look at the Owl's of Britain in both word and verse...some incredible facts... a wonderful little book for anyone who wants to know a little more of some of our most secret of birds and ones that should be celebrated. * The Last Word *

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Book SynopsisShona Saul has been teaching psychology for more than 30 years at both the undergraduate and school level. She holds a PhD in Psychology, is a chartered psychologist and an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society.

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

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Book SynopsisDrawing on unpublished first-hand accounts, this is a gripping history of the experiences of the Commandos and their unsung allies in one of the bloodiest battles of the Burma Campaign.

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Book SynopsisThis bestselling text offers theoretical detail and depth alongside a programme of activities to implement in practice which can improve literacy levels and support children with dyslexia.

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Book SynopsisReaching for Utopia brings together insightful essays and profiles chronicling the remarkable political and cultural transformations of the last decade – from the fall of Gordon Brown, to the rise of Corbyn and the radical left, to Brexit. Cowley is fascinated by the men and women who are creating the history of our era as well as those who document it. He has met and interviewed nearly all the major political players shaping and changing the way we live today.The book features fascinating, wide-ranging narrative profiles of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband, Jeremy Corbyn, Alex Salmond, Nigel Farage, David Cameron, George Osborne and Theresa May. Cowley is unusual in having access to party leaders and prime ministers on both the left and right.The book also features penetrating essays on writers such as George Orwell, John le Carré, Kazuo Insiguro, and Ian McEwan, personal essays, an investigation into the so-called Brexit Murder, and a striking conversation with the political philosopher Michael Sandel.Cowley is one of the most influential journalists in Britain. He is notable for being both a political and literary journalist. And he also writes about sport, especially football, and covered the 2006 World Cup in Germany for the Observer.He has been widely credited with transforming the fortunes of the New Statesman, which in 2017 has recorded its highest print circulation for nearly 40 years as well as becoming a major digital title with rapidly growing online profile. According to the European Press Prize, ‘Cowley has succeeded in revitalising the New Statesman and re-establishing its position as an influential political and cultural weekly. He has given the New Statesman an edge and a relevance to current affairs it hasn't had for years.’In 2017, at the British Society of Magazine Editors awards, Cowley won the editor of the year award (politics and current affairs) for the third time. In 2018, he launched New Statesman America.Trade ReviewThe subtitle for this collection of essays, profiles and interviews by New Statesman editor Jason Cowley is “making sense of an age of upheaval” and largely he succeeds. The section on politics and power is fascinating. Cowley is determined to understand antagonists, to explain the dominant individuals shaping our era. The likes of Arsène Wenger, Tiger Woods, Kazuo Ishiguro and Ian McEwan are explored in the Lives and Letters collection, too, making for a well-rounded collection by a thoughtful and engaging writer. -- Ben East * The Observer *A distinctly superior book … Cowley's thoughtful style is a pleasure to read. He has proved himself the rightful heir of the great Victorians. -- Simon Heffer * The Telegraph *These finely woven and open-minded essays have a dark stream trickling through them: of loss, chances missed, past success fading and no longer giving solace. This elegiac strain of regret, disappointment and intimations of mortality is invoked by, or attributed to, most of the public men and women profiled by Jason Cowley in Reaching for Utopia. -- John Lloyd * Financial Times *In their uncertain but foreboding style, the Jesus and Mary Chain once sang of how heaven is too close to hell. It’s not entirely clear what they were inferring, but it remains an intriguing image. A reading of Jason Cowley’s artful new book might lead us to conclude that utopia and dystopia share a similarly close proximity. Strive for the former and you may well end in the latter. Amongst a range of issues covered in this collection of profiles and essays, it is the unyielding pursuit of an unachievable utopia, an overstretching for something better, that is set as the frame. It is here that some understanding of our present malaise might be found in the fragments of recent history. -- David Beer * Berfrois *The strength of this outstanding essay collection lies in Cowley’s access to the key players in British politics, his considerable powers of social and political analysis and his excellent prose style. -- David Patrikarakos * Prospect Magazine *

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Book SynopsisIn The Security Principle, French philosopher Frédéric Gros takes a historical approach to the concept of "security", looking at its evolution from the Stoics to the social network. With lucidity and rigour, Gros's approach is fourfold, looking at security as a mental state, as developed by the Greeks; as an objective situation and absence of all danger, as prevailed in the Middle Ages; as guaranteed by the nation state and its trio of judiciary, police and military; and finally "biosecurity", control, regulation and protection in the flux of contemporary society. In this deeply thought-provoking account, Gros's exploration of security shines a light both on its past meanings as well as its present uses, exposing the contemporary abuses of security and the pervasiveness of it in everyday life in the Global North.Trade ReviewPraise for A Philosophy of Walking: A passionate affirmation of the simple life, and joy in simple things. And it's beautifully written: clear, simple, precise. -- Carole Cadwalladr * Observer *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: Poignant life-stories ... are interspersed with the author's own meditations on walking... In the way a landscape is gradually absorbed by the long-distance rambler they steadily build into an insistent exhortation: get up, get out and walk! -- James Attlee * Independent *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: Life-affirming stuff. * National Geographic Traveler *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: Impressive. -- Tom Payne * Daily Telegraph *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: Philosopher Gros ponders walking, that most mundane mode of transportation or exercise, elevating it to its rightful place in inspiring creativity, evoking freedom, and quieting a troubled soul. * Booklist *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: This elegant book inspires consideration of an oft-overlooked subject. * Publisher's Weekly *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: An admirable little book which will delight even the most sedentary. * Le Monde *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: An unclassifiable book in which ideas are illuminated by the bright light of the morning. * L'Express *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: Resolving to take more walks in the new year might sound like promising to take more naps - choosing idleness over work. But a lot of clever people don't see it that way [...] Frédéric Gros asks why so many of our most productive writers and philosophers - Rousseau, Kant, Rimbaud, Robert Louis Stevenson, Nietzsche, Jack Kerouac - have also been indefatigable walkers. -- Christopher Caldwell * Financial times *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: This short, simple and profound book... will be read and re-read. -- Laurence Coupe * Times Higher Education *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: Unpretentious and refreshing. -- Jonathon Sturgeon * Flavorwire *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: A long walk, Gros suggests, allows us to commune with the sublime. -- Lauren Elkin * New York Times *Praise for A Philosophy of Walking: Celebrates the liberation of the mind that comes with walking, especially in natural areas: I hike, therefore, I am. -- Matt JaffePraise for A Philosophy of Walking: A Philosophy of Walking moved me to think in greater depth about my walks. The book, written with great clarity, conveys Gros' thoughts about walking, and a discussion of various thinkers (Thoreau, Kant, Rousseau) for whom walking was essentially a contemplative act. -- Leonard QuartFrédéric Gros's genealogy of security is an outstanding study in political thought. Security Principle covers a lot of ground, from Ancient Greece to contemporary biopolitics, illuminating key transformations in the meaning of the concept of security. Written in a lucid and accessible way, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in how we have come to be so insecure about security. -- Sergei Prozorov, University of JyväskyläIn this veritable tour de force, Gros offers an erudite and engaging journey in the history of Western philosophy. He shows how different meanings of security have been sedimented, layer by layer, across thinkers and traditions and the ways in which these meanings are reconfigured in our present. Ultimately, Gros alerts us to the silent siren of security that dangerously allures us while it muffles the promise of politics: the possibility and the hope of changing the world. -- Banu Bargu, University of California, Santa Cruz

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Book Synopsis'His name was Ibrahim. He was about five years old and the thing he wanted most in the world was to go to school.' In a tiny country on the Horn of Africa, extreme adventurer, former soldier and star of Channel 4's Hunted Jordan Wylie made an extraordinary promise to a remarkable young boy. Ibrahim's home Djibouti is a refuge from neighbouring war zones, laying host to children excluded from the basic privileges we take for granted in the West. So, armed with skills learned from a lifetime of adventures, Wylie vowed to raise funds to build a new school for those children. And thus began a series of exceptional challenges, seeing Wylie row solo across the pirate-infested Bab el-Mandeb Strait in a world first and run extreme marathons in ice-cold climates. To cap it off, he embarked on a journey stand-up paddleboarding around mainland Great Britain, along the way facing military firing ranges, crazy teenagers on jet-skis, psychotic jellyfish and, finally, Covid-19. This is the inspirational true story of the lengths one man went to fulfil a young boy's dream - and of the good that can be achieved even in the hardest of times.Trade Review"Jordan is a fantastic role model for young people. He shows us all what you can achieve when you put your mind to it." - Tim Peake, astronaut "It was a real privilege to work alongside Jordan and see first-hand his commitment to helping inspire the next generation." - Alex Gregory MBE, double Olympic champion "A truly inspiring adventure filled with passion, purpose and humility." - Aldo Kane, adventurer, explorer and TV presenter "The extraordinary story of a former British soldier who had already done his duty but who went back to serve those whose lives are still blighted by war. Jordan Wylie epitomises the core values of our armed forces and veterans in everything he does to help others." - Johnny Mercer MP, former minister for defence people and veterans "A very powerful true story of one man's determination and endeavour to deliver on a special promise using the spirit of adventure." - Vex King, mind coach and author of Good Vibes, Good Life "Epic ocean adventures from a man who continues to push the boundaries of physical and psychological endurance." - Casper Steinfath, six-time world SUP champion "A highly accomplished adventurer who continues to inspire young people around the world to never give up and follow their dreams." - Nimsdai Purja MBE, elite soldier and mountaineer

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Book SynopsisDavid Toop's extraordinary work of sonic history travels from the rainforests of Amazonas to the megalopolis of Tokyo via the work of artists as diverse as Brian Eno, Sun Ra, Erik Satie, Kate Bush, Kraftwerk and Brian Wilson. Beginning in 1889 at the Paris exposition when Debussy first heard Javanese music performed, Ocean of Sound channels the competing instincts of 20th century music into an exhilarating, path-breaking account of ambient sound. 'A meditation on the development of modern music, there's no single term that is adequate to describe what Toop has accomplished here ... mixing interviews, criticism, history, and memory, Toop moves seamlessly between sounds, styles, genres, and eras' Pitchfork's '60 Favourite Music Books'Trade ReviewThis history of ambient music, starting with Debussy, is a minor masterpiece * Observer '50 greatest music books ever' *An encyclopaedic work, uncommonly knowledgeable and wide in its scope ... a rare and subversive read * DJ Magazine *A masterfully innovative and radical work * Melody Maker *A scintillating and illuminating read * Mojo *Buy it, read it and let it remix your head * i-D *A ground-breaking history of ambient music * Independent *Partly a mediation on the development of modern music, but there's no single term that is adequate to describe what Toop has accomplished here ... mixing interviews, criticism, history, and memory, Toop moves seamlessly between sounds, styles, genres, and eras, using listening as a tool in a search for a deeper understanding * Pitchfork's '60 Favourite Music Books' *An erudite and entertaining chauffeur, Toop shows us a way of listening differently ... Ocean of Sound puts Toop up there with Eno as a theorist of ambient music * Wired *Ocean of Sound's parallels aren't music books at all, but rather Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, William Gibson's Neuromancer ... Ocean of Sound is as alien as the 20th century, as utterly now as the 21st * Wire *Ocean of Sound has gained a fervent cult audience ... the best music-related book of the 90s * Chicago Reader *Ocean of Sound brilliantly elaborates [trends in music], like sonic fact for our sci-fi present, a martian chronicle from this planet earth * Face *A heroic endeavour brought off with elegance and charm * NME *David Toop is the brilliant voyager of our sonic century, for whom music is a map of our dreams -- Steve Erickson

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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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Book SynopsisOneironautics: from the Greek words oneira, meaning dream, and nautis, meaning sailor. An oneironaut is someone who has learned to travel consciously in the dream world. With dozens of real life dream accounts by lucid dreamers, and forty dreamlike illustrations, this book on dreaming is suitable for a new generation.Trade Review“[A] refreshingly practical guide to controlling dreams.” --Publishers Weekly “Step-by-step instructions for achieving the alluring, mysterious goal of lucid dreaming.” –Parade.com “Three young, New York-based oneironauts (‘dream navigators’) have come along to fish these techniques out of esoterica. Pulling from a wide array of lucid dreaming traditions, they offer step-by-step instructions.” --Tricycle“A refreshing blend of science, whimsy and practical tips on spicing up your dream life.” --Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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Book SynopsisProvides evidence from anthropology, archaeology, primatology, anatomy, and psychosexuality to show how far from human nature monogamy really is. This title exposes the ancient roots of human sexuality while pointing toward a more optimistic future illuminated by our innate capacities for love, cooperation, and generosity.Trade Review"Sex At Dawn has helped me understand myself and the world so much more clearly." -- Ilana Glazer, co-creator of Broad City "Sex At Dawn is the single most important book about human sexuality since Alfred Kinsey unleashed Sexual Behavior in the Human Male on the American public in 1948." -- Dan Savage "Funny, witty, and light ... Sex at Dawn is a scandal in the best sense, one that will have you reading the best parts aloud and reassessing your ideas about humanity's basic urges well after the book is done." -- Newsweek "Sex At Dawn challenges conventional wisdom about sex in a big way... This is a provocative, entertaining, and pioneering book. I learned a lot from it and recommend it highly." -- Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Healthy Aging "Sex At Dawn is a provocative and engaging synthesis... that has the added benefit of being a joy to read... A book sure to generate discussion, and one likely to produce more than a few difficult conversations with family marriage counselors." -- Eric Michael Johnson, Seed Magazine "You clearly have an exciting book on your hands, whether people agree with it or not: these are issues that will need debating over and over before we will arrive at a resolution." -- Frans de Waal, author of The Age of Empathy "A wonderfully provocative and well-written book which completely re-evaluates human sexual behaviour and gets to the root of many of our social and psychological ills." -- Steve Taylor, author of The Fall and Waking From Sleep "One of the most original books I've read in years, Sex at Dawn manages to be both enormously erudite and wildly entertaining-even, frequently, hilarious... A must-read for anyone interested in where our sexual impulses come from." -- Tony Perrottet, author of Napoleon's Privates "This paradigm-shifting book is a thoroughly original discussion of the origins and nature of human sexuality... These authors have a gift for making complex material reader-friendly, filling each chapter with humor and passion as well as dozens of revolutionary insights." -- Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. "Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha have written the essential corrective to the evolutionary psychology literature..." -- Stanton Peele, Ph.D.

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Book SynopsisTrauma counsellor Kelly McDaniel helps women break the cycle of destructive behaviour by taking a hard look at childhood trauma and its lasting impact.An endless ache to love and be loved. Periods of overeating or starving. A pattern of unstable moods and painful relationships. Sound familiar? Trauma psychotherapist Kelly McDaniel has seen these traits over and over in clients who feel trapped in cycles of harmful behaviours - and are unable to stop. Mother Hunger destigmatizes the shame that comes with being under-mothered and misdiagnosed, and offers a healing path. You'll find out how to:· reclaim nurturance and protection using breathing exercises, visualization, Reiki and other healing modalities· find guidance and inspiration by creating a celestial mother· finally break the intergenerational cycle of Mother HungerDiscover how to demystify the causes of harmful behaviours, free yourself from limiting beliefs and find a way towards healthy habits and a positive headspace. 'I honestly cannot remember a time I have resonated with anything as much as I do Mother Hunger, if this book has presented itself to you - trust it!' Nancy Levin, author of Setting Boundaries Will Set You Free

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Book SynopsisAn international business expert helps you understand and navigate cultural differences in this insightful and practical guide, perfect for both your work and personal life.Americans precede anything negative with three nice comments; French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans get straight to the point; Latin Americans and Asians are steeped in hierarchy; Scandinavians think the best boss is just one of the crowd. It's no surprise that when they try and talk to each other, chaos breaks out.In The Culture Map, INSEAD professor Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain in which people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together. She provides a field-tested model for decoding how cultural differences impact international business, and combines a smart analytical framework with practical, actionable advice.Trade Review"The book abounds with well-chosen anecdotes to illustrate the misunderstandings that can arise from clashing cultural assumptions, making this enlightening book a pleasure to read." --Foreign Affairs "Whether you're a corporate or traditional diplomat, global traveler, government official, or passionate world citizen, this is the one book you should not miss. Chock-full of real-world examples and a simple framework that can be utilized in any cross-cultural context, Meyer's work is characterized by a fresh and relevant voice, distilling down the essentials of communicating, persuading and working effectively around the globe. It is rare that I pick up a cross-cultural book and can't put it down."--Cari Guittard, Huffington Post "This readable book explains how to dramatically increase organisational success by improving our ability to understand the behaviour of colleagues, clients, and suppliers from different countries." --Professional Manager (UK) "A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures...Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business." --Kirkus Reviews "With business becoming ever global, there are a raft of books available on dealing with cultural differences. If you only read one, make it INSEAD professor Erin Meyer's...Skillfully blend[s] real-life examples. with an analytical framework... What brings this book to life are the numerous examples Meyer has encountered, both in her own life as an American living in Paris, and in her experience as running the Managing Virtual Teams module at INSEAD."--HR Magazine, 5 star review "Amusing"--Financial Times "In a relaxed, entertaining, but always knowledgeable style, Meyer draws on numerous examples from her experiences to explain how to detect the invisible barriers in the global business world -- and how to get past them."--Siemens Industry Journal, issue 2

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPart One Zarathustra’s Prologue 3 Zarathustra’s Discourses 29 The Three Metamorphoses 30 The Academic Chairs of Virtue 34 Backworldsmen 39 The Despisers of the Body 44 Joys and Passions 47 The Pale Criminal 50 Reading and Writing 54 The Tree on the Hill 57 The Preachers of Death 62 War and Warriors 65 The New Idol 68 The Flies in the Market-Place 73 Chastity 78 The Friend 81 The Thousand and One Goals 85 Neighbor-Love 89 The Way of the Creating One 92 Old and Young Women 97 The Bite of the Adder 101 Children and Marriage 104 Voluntary Death 108 The Bestowing Virtue 113 Part Two The Child with the Mirror 123 In the Happy Isles 128 The Compassionate 133 The Priests 138 The Virtuous 143 The Rabble 148 The Tarantulas 153 The Famous Wise Ones 158 The Night-Song 163 The Dance-Song 167 The Grave-Song 172 Self-Surpassing 177 The Sublime Ones 183 The Land of Culture 187 Immaculate Perception 192 Scholars 197 Poets 201 Great Events 207 The Soothsayer 213 Redemption 219 Manly Prudence 227 The Stillest Hour 232 Part Three The Wanderer 239 The Vision and the Enigma 244 Involuntary Bliss 252 Before Sunrise 258 The Bedwarfing Virtue 263 On the Olive-Mount 272 On Passing-By 277 The Apostates 282 The Return Home 289 The Three Evil Things 295 The Spirit of Gravity 303 Old and New Tables 310 The Convalescent 341 The Great Longing 352 The Second Dance-Song 357 The Seven Seals (Or The Song of Yes and Amen) 363 Part Four The Honey Sacrifice 371 The Cry of Distress 377 Talk with the Kings 382 The Leech 389 The Magician 394 Out of Service 404 The Ugliest Man 411 The Voluntary Beggar 419 The Shadow 426 Noontide 432 The Greeting 437 The Supper 446 The Higher Man 449 The Song of Melancholy 465 Science 471 Among Daughters of the Desert 476 The Deserts Grow: Woe Him Who Does Them Hide! 478 The Awakening 484 The Ass-Festival 490 The Drunken Song 496 The Sign 508

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Book SynopsisDiscover the innovative intersection of somatic therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS), featuring 5 core practices to transform modern therapeutic approaches.Enhance your clinical practice and patient outcomes by skillfully uniting body and mind through an evidence-based therapeutic modality?endorsed by leaders in the field, including Richard Schwartz.Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy introduces a cutting-edge therapeutic modality that merges the elements of somatic therapy, such as movement, touch, and breathwork, with the established principles of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. Authored by Susan McConnell, this multifaceted approach is crafted for therapists, clinicians, somatic practitioners, mental health professionals, and anyone interested in innovative healing techniques. A valuable contribution to mental health treatment, this guide offers a new horizon for those engaged in the well-being of others.This comprehensive, bestselling guide presents: 5 core practices: somatic awareness, conscious breathing, radical resonance, mindful movement, and attuned touch, designed for seamless integration into therapeutic work. Strategies to apply these practices in addressing a range of clinical conditions including depression, trauma, anxiety, eating disorders, chronic illness, and attachment disorders. Techniques to assist clients in identifying, understanding, and reconciling their ''inner worlds'' or subpersonalities, leading to improved emotional health and behavior. A compelling combination of scientific insights, experiential practices, and real-world clinical stories that illuminate the theory and application of Somatic IFS. Highly regarded mental health professionals, such as IFS founder Richard Schwartz, have applauded this essential guide. By weaving together holistic healing wisdom, modern neuroscience, and somatic practices expertise, this book serves as a crucial resource for psychotherapists across various disciplines and laypersons seeking an embodied self.

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive teachers' manual which provides a complete artistic curriculum suitable for Steiner-Waldorf Classes 1--8 (ages 6--14).Trade Review'If there is a 'bible' about painting and drawing in Waldorf schools, this book is certainly it. It is an invaluable and essentail resource for class teachers and homeschooling parents.'-- Renewal: A Journal for Waldorf Education'A superbly structured manual on drawing and painting in the class teacher years. In over twenty years as a class teacher in Britain and Germany, this is one of the most inspirational and useful books I have come across. I hope that colleagues throughout the world will benefit from its approach.'-- Sven Saar, Freie Waldorfschule Wahlwies, Germany'It's a wonderful guide to every type of painting and drawing experienced within Waldorf education. Almost every section contains step-by-step guides and thoughtful commentary. The pictures alone are so inspiring. This is the book I had wished for when I started homeschooling…I absolutely adore this book.'-- Schooling from the Heart blog'Wow! What a book. Thomas Wildgruber has been a class teacher and an art and craft teacher since 1979. This book is his life's work, dedicated to teaching children and teachers about painting and drawing. With over 800 color photographs and covering first grade through eighth, the richness of the 384 pages can be overwhelming. But exciting!'-- Waldorf Today'A comprehensive guide for teaching painting…This will surely take its place as a fundamental resource'.-- Rudolf Steiner Library, Anthroposophical Society in America'A great all-in-one resource that will be really helpful!'-- Swizerite blogspot, waldorfcurriculum.com'This is the book we all have been waiting for!'-- Waldorf Without Walls newsletter

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Book SynopsisHow identity politics failed one particular identity.A must read and if you think YOU don't need to read it, that's just the clue to know you do' SARAH SILVERMANA masterpiece'' STEPHEN FRYJews Don't Count is a book for people on the right side of history. People fighting the good fight against homophobia, disablism, transphobia and, particularly, racism. People, possibly, like you.It is the comedian and writer David Baddiel's contention that one type of racism has been left out of this fight. In his unique combination of reasoning, polemic, personal experience and jokes, Baddiel argues that those who think of themselves as on the right side of history have often ignored the history of anti-Semitism. He outlines why and how, in a time of intensely heightened awareness of minorities, Jews don't count as a real minority.Trade Review‘Jews Don’t Count is a supreme piece of reasoning and passionate, yet controlled, argument. From his first sentence, the energy, force and conviction of Baddiel’s writing and thinking will transfix you…as readable as an airport thriller…a masterpiece.’STEPHEN FRY ‘I don’t think I have ever been so grateful to anyone for writing a book. Baddiel’s Jews Don’t Count is incisive, urgent, surprisingly funny and short. It’s also a beautiful piece of publishing. It needs to be read’JAY RAYNER ‘Brilliant, furious, uncomfortable, funny. Essential reading.’SIMON MAYO ‘I'm about a quarter of the way into this thus far and it's very well argued and written. It's a book you know the author HAD to write, and those are the best books’JON RONSON ‘I only big up work I really believe is good and this is extra-ordinarily good. And important’JONATHAN ROSS ‘This is brilliant – funny and furious, mostly at the same time’MARINA HYDE ‘A convincing and devastating charge sheet’ Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times ‘It is so gripping – I read it in a single sitting’ Stephen Bush, The Times ‘A fascinating book, I urge you to read it’ Piers Morgan ‘I really think it’s a great book … the real triumph is its tone, its straightforwardness, and its spectacular tact and wit’ Adam Phillips, author of Monogamy ‘this short and powerful book shows, with remarkable humanity and humour, that no contemporary conversation about racism is complete without confronting antisemitism. An essential read – and a compulsory one too, if I had my way.’ Sathnam Sanghera ‘Funny, complex and intellectually satisfying – a really good piece of work’ Frankie Boyle ‘Just so brilliantly argued and written, I was completely swept along’ Hadley Freeman ‘David Baddiel is a brilliant thinker and writer. Even when I disagree with him – especially when I disagree with him – I feel profound gratitude for his intellectual and moral clarity. This is a brave and necessary book.’ Jonathan Safran Foer

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Book SynopsisYour life isn't, has never been, and will never be about you.

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Book SynopsisProof of a ground-breaking psychological theory: that the fear of death is the hidden motive behind almost everything we do.''A joy ... The Worm at the Core asks how humans can learn to live happily while being intelligently aware of our impending doom, how knowledge of death affects the decisions we make every day, and how we can stop fear and anxiety overwhelming us'' Charlotte Runcie, Daily Telegraph''Provocative, lucid and fascinating'' Financial Times''An important, superbly readable and potentially life-changing book . . . suggests one should confront mortality in order to live an authentic life'' Tim Lott, Guardian ''Deep, important, and beautifully written ... utterly original'' Daniel Gilbert

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Book SynopsisWidely regarded as the father of modern Western philosophy, Descartes sought to look beyond established ideas and create a thought system based on reason. In this profound work he meditates on doubt, the human soul, God, truth and the nature of existence itself.GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

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Book SynopsisJohn Berger broke new ground with his penetrating writings on life, art and how we see the world around us. Here he explores how the ancient relationship between man and nature has been broken in the modern consumer age, with the animals that used to be at the centre of our existence now marginalized and reduced to spectacle.Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

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Book SynopsisA WATERSTONES BEST POLITICS BOOK OF 2024This is an exceptional moment for democracy.In the year of elections, read Margaret Atwood, Mary Beard, Lea Ypi, Elif Shafak and more on what democracy means - and why it matters. In 2024, nearly half the world will take part in a national election, with billions heading to the polls. It''s a thrilling, unprecedented opportunity for change - yet democracy is also under threat.Women are at the forefront of the fight for democratic rights, as well as being the most vulnerable when those rights disappear. Here, eleven extraordinary women - leaders, philosophers, historians, writers and activists - explore democracy''s power to uplift our societies. Between its ancient origins and its modern challenges, they share a vision for a better future - one we can build together.

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Book SynopsisNarratives produce the ties that bind us. They create community, eliminate contingency and anchor us in being. And yet in our contemporary information society, where everything has become arbitrary and random, storytelling becomes storyselling and narratives lose their binding force. Whereas narratives create community, storytelling brings forth only a fleeting community – the community of consumers. No amount of storytelling could recreate the fire around which humans gather to tell each other stories. That fire has long since burnt out. It has been replaced by the digital screen, which separates people rather than bringing them together. Through storytelling, capitalism appropriates narrative: stories sell. They are no longer a medium of shared experience. The inflation of storytelling betrays a need to cope with contingency, but storytelling is unable to transform the information society back into a stable narrative community. Rather, storytelling as storyselling is a pathological phenomenon of our age. Byung-Chul Han, one of the most perceptive cultural theorists of contemporary society, dissects this crisis with exceptional insight and flair.Table of ContentsPreface From Narration to InformationThe Poverty of ExperienceThe Narrated LifeBare LifeThe Disenchantment of the WorldFrom Shocks to LikesTheory as NarrativeNarration as HealingNarrative CommunityStoryselling Notes

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of international bestseller On Tyranny, this prescient analysis of Russia's ongoing interference in the West is now more relevant than ever. 'One of the best...brisk, conceptually convincing account of democracy's retreat in the early years of 21st century' Guardian The past is another country, the old saying goes. The same might be said of the future. But which country? For Europeans and Americans today, the answer is Russia. In this visionary work of contemporary history, Timothy Snyder shows how Russia works within the West to destroy the West; by supporting the far right in Europe, invading Ukraine in 2014, and waging a cyberwar during the 2016 presidential campaign and the EU referendum. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the creation of Donald Trump, an American failure deployed as a Russian weapon. But this threat presents an opportunity to better understand the pillars of our freedoms and face the choices that will determine the future: equality or oligarchy, individualism or totalitarianism, truth or lies. 'A brilliant and disturbing analysis, which should be read by anyone wishing to understand the political crisis currently engulfing the world' Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling author of SapiensTrade ReviewA brilliant and disturbing analysis, which should be read by anyone wishing to understand the political crisis currently engulfing the world -- YUVAL NOAH HARARI, author of SAPIENS and HOMO DEUSThis story of how Russia dismantled democracy, and the man who set its template for fake news, is chilling and persuasive ... unignorable... a disturbing and persuasive insight... Snyder's forensic examination of, for example the news cycle that followed the shooting down of flight MH17 makes essential reading ... Meticulously researched and footnoted. -- Tim Adams * Observer *One of the best…brisk, conceptually convincing account of democracy’s retreat in the early years of 21st century -- Luke Harding * Guardian *Snyder’s central thesis is a strong one… Vividly and insightfully told. -- Edward Lucas * The Times *A rollercoaster world calls for a news editor’s skills in processing facts and a philosopher’s ability to dissect ideologies. He has both. * The Economist *

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