Religion and politics Books

Book Synopsis'If you've ever wondered what would happen if limitless money met limitless power, wonder no longer, it's all here ... Terrifying, disturbing and ghastly' Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland'Explosive' The Times'[A] Crisp page-turner of a book teeming with telling detail ... Splendid' Financial Times'The fascinating and highly entertaining tale ... Fly-on-the-wall reporting and palace intrigue worthy of Machiavelli' John Carreyrou, author of Bad BloodLonglisted for the 2020 Financial Times / McKinsey Business Book of the YearBlood and Oil the explosive untold story of how Mohammed bin Salman and his entourage grabbed power in the Middle East and acquired a network of Western allies - including well-known US bankers, Hollywood figures, and politicians - all eager to help the charming and crafty crown prince.Through astonishing interviews with powerful insiders, Blood and Oil tells how MBS's cabal played the Saudi economy and capitalised on the omnipotence of feudal power while effectively stamping out dissent, before allegations of his extreme brutality and excess began to slip out. A story of breathtaking dealings that range from Riyadh to London, Paris to America, this is a thrilling and brutal investigation into extreme wealth, one of the world's most decisive and dangerous new leaders, and the bid for Saudi transformation that is reverberating around the world.'This is as close to the truth, to the real story of the corruption, vulgarities, horrors, and lies of the Kingdom and its current despot as we are likely to get. It also can be read as a Shakespearean story of utter greed' Seymour Hersh, author of Chain of CommandTrade ReviewHope & Scheck confront us with the conundrum of a young man who is doing good by his Kingdom - brilliantly describing how the enigmatic Crown Prince is bringing progress to Arabia as we would see it in the West - while operating with a ruthlessness and absolutism that make the stomach curl. Blood and Oil is compelling reading. We are challenged and enthralled on every page. * Robert Lacey — Author of The Kingdom and Inside the Kingdom *Blood and Oil is the best book I've read about the Middle East. It gets deep into the most opaque place on earth, without a false note anywhere. Not to mention the book is a wonderfully readable page-turner, and indispensable if you want a glimpse of the future of Saudi Arabia and the world. * Robert Baer, author of See No Evil and Sleeping with the Devil *It will leave you with a deep and nuanced understanding of the Crown Prince's thinking and its implications for Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East * John Carreyrou, author of Bad Blood *This is as close to the truth, to the real story of the corruption, vulgarities, horrors, and lies of the Kingdom and its current despot as we are likely to get. It also can be read as a Shakespearean story of utter greed. * Seymour Hersh, author of Chain of Command *Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck chronicle the truly incredible story of MBS's rise in the deep, multidimensional way that only experienced Wall Street Journal reporters can do. The book reads like a novel, but it also plays the critically important role of illuminating a real person who is going to shape our world in ways we would all be better for understanding. * Bethany McLean, author Saudi America and co-author of The Smartest Guys in the Room *Blood and Oil is a revelatory book that resonates with a stranger-than-fiction quality as the authors' analysis of the Crown Prince's brutishness, outlandishness, and reformer's mentality is as riveting as it is profound. * Bryan Burrough, author of Public Enemies and co-author of Barbarians at the Gate *A gossipy account of the rise to power of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, offering detailed insights into his ascent and his business, family and political relationships * Financial Times *It is lively and well written, and it draws a sharp portrait of the man at its heart * New York Times *If you've ever wondered what would happen if limitless money met limitless power, wonder no longer, it's all here. This book is by turns terrifying, disturbing and ghastly, but written with a light touch that forces you to keep reading * Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland *Blood and Oil really is a riveting page-turner, a descent into a nest of vipers, a chilling profile of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known by his initials MBS -- Lara Marlowe * The Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisTHERE IS A RISING PAGAN THREAT TO THE CHURCH AND AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.Pastor Lucas Miles, bestselling author of Woke Jesus: The False Messiah Destroying Christianity, delves into the alarming resurgence of pagan ideologies within the United States, posing significant threats to the church, the nation, and the world.Unveiling the complex interplay between ancient beliefs and modern society, The Pagan Threat: Confronting America’s Godless Uprising meticulously exposes the inherent dangers that challenge the core fabric of our faith and civic unity. From exposing an evolving techno paganism to blatant idol worship, Pastor Miles navigates the intricate terrain of safeguarding the nation and the pulpit against the rising tide of paganism.The Pagan Threat serves as an insightful guide, a warning and a call-to-action, urging readers to understand, confront, and ultimately fortify the foundations of their faith and the principles that define our great nation, and is a necessary work to prepare God’s people for what comes next in a society experiencing moral and spiritual decline.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“As an ideological refresher on what the West got right, Shapiro’s book gets the job done.” — The Washington Post Shapiro cavorts through 3,000 years of intellectual history in the span of about 250 pages, offering a perspicuous, “user-friendly” dive into some of our civilization’s biggest ideas. — The Washington Examiner “Ben Shapiro knows the power of his voice. He stands up and fights for what he believes with time-tested ideas. The Right Side of History is thoughtful and well-reasoned - exactly what Shapiro’s critics don’t want you to hear.” — Nikki Haley, former premanent representative of the U.S. Mission of the United Nations

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Book SynopsisNew edition of Shahak's controversial critique of Israel.Trade Review'Subjects the whole history of Orthodoxy to a hilarious and scrupulous critique' -- Christopher Hitchens, The Nation'The voice of reason is alive and well, and in Israel, of all places. Shahak is the latest - if not the last - of the great prophets' -- Gore Vidal'The future of the Palestinian people would have looked much brighter if there had been more Israelis like Shahak ... An outstanding personality' -- The Jerusalem TimesTable of ContentsForeword to the first edition by Gore Vidal Foreword to the 1997 edition by Edward Said Foreword to the 2002 edition by Norton Mezvinsky Foreword to the new edition by Ilan Pappe 1. The Consequences of Ethnic Cleansing 2. The Jewish Religion and its attitude to non-Jews part 1 3. The Jewish Religion and its attitude to non-Jews part 2 4. Conclusions Notes Index

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Book SynopsisWhen the US government resettled thousands of Hmong in 1975, the work was done by Christian organizations deputized by the state. Exploring the resiliency of tradition amid shaky US commitments to pluralism and secularism, Melissa May Borja shows how Hmong Americans developed a new way that blended Christianity with their longstanding practices.Trade ReviewSuperb…Borja’s book is a beautiful study of how people work out the meaning of faith in their homes as much as in their religious communities. -- William J. Schultz * Christian Century *A fascinating, deeply perceptive, and highly readable study of the Hmong experience in America. Borja’s pathbreaking book will appeal to a broad readership in religion and cultural studies, refugee resettlement and humanitarian aid, and church-state relations, as well as to the Hmong community itself. An exemplary model of careful scholarship with far-reaching significance. -- Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a NationBeautifully written and sensitively told, Follow the New Way foregrounds the resilience of Hmong ‘religious migrants’ while highlighting the power of the state. This illuminating book is a must-read for anyone interested in migration, pluralism, and religious freedom. -- Kathryn Gin Lum, author of Heathen: Religion and Race in American HistoryA deeply nuanced story of the politics and practices of religious pluralism. Borja deftly illuminates how American refugee resettlement policies have shaped the spiritual lives of Hmong Americans and raises timely questions about the promise of religious freedom in America. Required reading for anyone interested in American religion. -- Carolyn Chen, author of Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon ValleyA story that changes the way we tell stories. In the histories it recounts, the characters it follows, and ‘the way’ it illuminates, Follow the New Way stretches the bounds of what we mean by religion, culture, immigration, and tradition. With compassion and a deeply held humanity, Borja renews our thinking not just about Hmong Americans, but about America as such. -- Jonathan Tran, author of Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial CapitalismA superb book. Tracing the complicated process of religious change among Hmong refugees, Borja persuasively demonstrates how state policies disrupted Hmong traditions. Yet she also shows how refugees creatively and resiliently drew upon a variety of religious resources to gain spiritual strength in their new land. -- Russell Jeung, author of Family Sacrifices: The Worldviews and Ethics of Chinese AmericansFor far too long, writing about Southeast Asian refugees, and specifically Hmong Americans, has ignored the issue of faith. In a refreshing, much-needed analysis, Borja draws out the unexpected connections between US refugee resettlement policy and religious change among Hmong migrants. Readable, engaging, and innovative, Follow the New Way is a tremendously important contribution to Asian American history. -- Sam Vong, Curator of Asian Pacific American History, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian InstitutionAn outstanding, profoundly original book. Borja brings together methods from migration history and religious studies to show how the pluralist ambitions of the post-1965 United States shaped both Hmong refugees and the Christian churches that sponsored their resettlement. In the process, she offers a nuanced and compelling way to think about both the power and the limitations of religious pluralism. -- Alison Collis Greene, author of No Depression in Heaven: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Transformation of Religion in the Delta

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking account of Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Pius VII, and the kidnapping that would forever divide church and stateTrade Review“We can now see clearly that industrialisation, secularism and the emergent nation-state spelt not the end of religious faith, but rather its transformation into a political force in its own right. . . . But it was the Catholic church and its response to the French Revolution that paved the way. To Kidnap a Pope tells the story of this epic struggle.”—Mark Mazower, Financial Times“Try Ambrogio A. Caiani’s To Kidnap a Pope: Napoleon and Pius VII. . . . It is the story of the struggle, fought with cunning, not force, between the forgotten Roman nobleman Barnaba Chiaramonti, who became Pope Pius VII, and the all-too-well-remembered Napoleon.”—Jonathan Sumption, Spectator, “Books of the Year”“Caiani leads the reader expertly through diplomatic and theological disputes, a dynastic marriage, international relations and war. He handles this complex narrative deftly, without too much assumption of prior knowledge.”—David Laven, Times Literary Supplement“Ambrogio A. Caiani tells the story of Napoleon’s second papal hostage-taking: an audacious 1809 plot to whisk Pius VII (1742–1823) from Rome in the dead of night and to break his stubborn resolve through physical isolation and intrusive surveillance. . . . Caiani’s unique contribution in this work is to have set aside traditional, partisan tellings of this tale as good versus evil, secular versus religious, or state versus church. Instead, this version, even-handed and detailed in its contextualisation, is about two charismatic leaders going mano a mano.”—Miles Pattenden, Australian Book Review“A marvelous account of one cause celebre.”—Michael Broers, GQ Magazine“In this enthralling study, Ambrogio Caiani gives a vivid account of the struggle between the two men, which would continue virtually unabated until Napoleon’s death on St Helena in 1821. He is commendably even-handed in his analysis, presenting it both as a personal tussle between two dogged opponents and as a clash between contrasting visions of the world: a Catholicism ever more drawn to counter-revolutionary reaction, and an emperor consciously pursuing his own brand of modernity.”—Alan Forrest, BBC History Magazine“Caiani relates this dramatic story in telling detail but never loses sight of the broader picture, and uses his archival discoveries to excellent effect. The result is both an exciting narrative and a fine work of scholarship, shedding new light on Napoleonic history and that of the modern Catholic Church.”—Munro Price, Literary Review“Caiani uses newfound research from the Vatican Archives and isn’t afraid to provide readers with the unusual conclusion that neither Napoleon nor Pope Pius emerge as the victor of the decade-long confrontation.”—Eleanor Longman-Rood, Reaction“Ambrogio Caiani has undertaken a serious reassessment of Pius VII’s kidnapping and imprisonment, an important episode in the nineteenth-century history of the papacy that was last examined by E. E. Y. Hales in 1962. Caiani provides us with a careful, detailed account of the turbulent relationship between the Pope and Napoleon, using new archival material which he unearthed in Italy, France and Britain. . . . This very readable and vivid account of the relationship between Pius VII and Napoleon is truly a work of fine scholarship.”—John Pollard, The Tablet“A scholarly monograph that reads like a thriller; and is a work of narrative history which ably threads ideas into the heart of its presentation.”—Alexander Faludy, Church Times“Brilliantly written, based on meticulous research in the archives and beautifully produced, it is a book that should be on the shelves of any serious Napoleonist as well as one that ought to be read with particular attention by those who continue to be mesmerized by visions of ‘Napoleon the Great.’”—Charles J. Esdaile, European History Quarterly“Caiani is excellent on the local and particular, and is especially good on the physical encounters between his two principals, which he recounts with colourfully telling detail. But his enthralling narrative widens out from the intertwined lives of the two men and their very contrasting entourages to illuminate international relations and the place of religion in the politics of the revolutionary and Napoleonic age.”—Colin Jones, French Studies“Ambrogio Caiani gives us a bold, provocative new assessment of the French Emperor and his relationship with the Catholic Church. In gripping, vivid prose, Caiani brings to life the struggle for power that would shape modern Europe. It all makes for a historical read which is both original and enjoyable.”—Antonia Fraser, author of Marie Antoinette“The decade-long struggle between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII is one of the great dramas of the revolutionary era, but remains little-known. Now, and for the first time in English, Ambrogio Caiani recounts this riveting story in full—and offers insight into one of the great conflicts that has shaped, and continues to shape, the modern world, the rivalry between religion and the state.”—Munro Price, author of Napoleon: The End of Glory“A riveting and compelling account of how the soft power of the Pope proved more durable than the military might of Napoleon.”—Tim Blanning, author of The Pursuit of Glory“An outstanding milestone. The relations between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII have never been examined in such detail before. Ambrogio Caiani takes Napoleon away from the battlefield to show him grappling with the Catholic Church, in what he admitted was the most difficult problem he ever faced. This beautifully written book will now be the essential guide to understanding why and how the greatest soldier of modern times failed to subdue a pope.”—William Doyle, author of The Oxford History of the French Revolution

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Book SynopsisJulia Ebner is a terrorism and extremism researcher based in London specialising in far-right extremism, reciprocal radicalisation and terrorism prevention initiatives. She is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and a Global Fellow at the Project for the Study of the 21st Century. She spent two years working for the world's first counter-extremism organisation Quilliam, where she led research projects on terrorism prevention for the European Commission and the Kofi Annan Foundation and gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on far-right extremism. In her role as the coordinator of the pan-European network Families Against Terrorism and Extremism (FATE), she carried out radicalisation prevention projects across Europe and North Africa. On the basis of her research, Julia advises parliamentary working groups, frontline workers and tech firms, speaks at international conferences and delivers workshops in schools and universities. She regularly writTrade ReviewSelected by the Guardian as one of the best ten books for understanding the threat of terrorism * The Guardian *[Ebner] marshals facts well, identifies trends clearly, endeavours to contextualise her viewpoint and has a flair for the illustrative anecdote. * Survival: Global Politics and Strategy *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Movements Acknowledgements Foreword Preface Introduction -Inside Extremist Groups -You Hate Me and I Hate You -The Age of Rage -Exploring Rage with Empathy 1. The End of a Collective Illusion -The Leaning Tower of Jenga -Extremist Storytellers -Stories of Wars -Wars of Stories 2. The Global Jihadist Insurgency -A Brief History of Islamist Extremist Ideas -The New Islamist Extremist Wave 3. The Far-Right Renaissance -A Brief History of Far-Right Ideas -The New Far-Right Wave 4. Identity Politics -From Fear to Rage -The Global Identity Crisis -Victims and Demons -Islamist Identity Politics -Far-Right Identity Politics

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Book SynopsisThis book is an action, a political action where revolution is the goal'Andrea Dworkin's blazing, prophetic debut argued that a deep-rooted hatred of women has been ingrained in society for centuries and still governs us today. From fairy tales to erotic novels to witch-burnings, she uncovers the ways in which male violence and oppression have been normalized throughout history, and points the way to liberation. To see where we are going we must understand where we have been. Woman Hating is a much needed and long overdue addition toward that understanding' Audre LordeA singularly powerful voice Dworkin [gave] definitive expression to the radical feminist tenet that sexual domination was the beating heart of patriarchy' Amia Srinivasan, LRB

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Book SynopsisAt a time when opinion trumps facts and truth is treated as nothing more than another perspective, free speech has become a battleground. While authoritarians and algorithms threaten democracy, we argue over who has the right to speak.To protect ourselves from encroaching tyranny, we must look beyond this one-dimensional notion of what it means to be free and, by reconnecting liberty to equality and accountability, restore the individual agency engendered by the three dimensions of freedom.

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Book SynopsisIn 2018, at the end of a speech Rod Dreher gave in Genoa, an artist gave him an engraving by his own hand. In broken English, the artist explained that he was in his studio that afternoon when the Holy Spirit told him that he should come hear Rod Dreher, and give him a particular drawing of an obscure medieval saint. None of this made sense to Dreher until two years later, lost in depression and confusion, the saint - a Tuscan hermit named Galgano - appeared in Dreher''s life again under circumstances that did not at all seem coincidental, sending Dreher on a search for God''s will for his life. A lifetime of experiencing mystical events and collecting stories from others who have has solidified Dreher''s Christian faith, and convinced him that God reveals himself to us all the time - but we in the modern West have lost our capacity to sense God''s presence. How did this happen to us, but not to other peoples in the world? Can it be reversed? If so, how?WONDERWORLD t

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Book Synopsis''A landmark contribution to humanity''s understanding of itself'' The New York TimesWhy can it sometimes feel as though half the population is living in a different moral universe? Why do ideas such as ''fairness'' and ''freedom'' mean such different things to different people? Why is it so hard to see things from another viewpoint? Why do we come to blows over politics and religion?Jonathan Haidt reveals that we often find it hard to get along because our minds are hardwired to be moralistic, judgemental and self-righteous. He explores how morality evolved to enable us to form communities, and how moral values are not just about justice and equality - for some people authority, sanctity or loyalty matter more. Morality binds and blinds, but, using his own research, Haidt proves it is possible to liberate ourselves from the disputes that divide good people.Trade ReviewA landmark contribution to humanity's understanding of itself * The New York Times *If you want to know why you hold your moral beliefs and why many people disagree with you, read this book -- Simon Baron-Cohen * author of The Essential Difference *A truly seminal book -- David Goodhart * Prospect *A tour de force - brave, brilliant, and eloquent. It will challenge the way you think about liberals and conservatives, atheism and religion, good and evil -- Paul Bloom * author of How Pleasure Works *Compelling . . . a fluid combination of erudition and entertainment -- Ian Birrell * Observer *Lucid and thought-provoking . . . deserves to be widely read -- Jenni Russell * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisAgamben seeks to separate the Pauline texts from the history of the Church that canonized them, thus revealing them to be "the fundamental messianic texts of the West." He argues that Paul's Letters are concerned not with the foundation of a new religion but rather with the "messianic" abolition of Jewish law.Trade Review"The Time that Remains presents itself as an exegetical seminar on the opening line of the Letter to the Romans ("Paul, called as a slave of Jesus the Messiah, separated as apostle for the announcement of God")... Agamben's insightful close reading of the Pauline corpus sets this book apart from the more free-range grazing over the text modeled by Badiou and iek."—Radical Philosophy Review"Agamben, through the close reading of Pauline letter and the comparison of W. Benjamin's philosophy of history, gives us a fruitful key to better understand Western history and civilization. Philosophers and theologians will learn a great deal from reading this book." —Philosophy in Review/Comptes Rendus philosophiquesTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc2:The First Day 000 The Second Day 000 The Third Day 000 The Fourth Day 000 The Fifth Day 000 The Sixth Day 000 Threshold or Tornada 000 @toc4:Appendix 000 Bibliogrpahy 000 Index of Names 000

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"For anyone still bewitched by World War II, these tormented, poetic letters and diaries make engrossing reading." — Los Angeles Times"A well-chosen selection of personal documents, this book illuminates the intellectual and emotional development of two students who were at the center of the idealistic but futile anti-Nazi conspiracy at Munich University in 1942-43. . . . Children of a family of pacifist sentiment and cosmopolitan intellectual interests, Hans and Sophie Scholl were affected in their opposition to Nazism by a variety of influences ranging from those of Nietzsche, Rilke, and Stefan George to Catholic philosophers such as Augustine, Aquinas, and their personal mentor and friend, Carl Muth. Especially striking is the Scholls' growing attraction to Christian mysticism. . . . Smooth translation; excellent explanatory notes and illustrations; fairly good index." — Choice"The Scholls’ writings glow with all the idealism, naiveté, and self-importance of youth. . . . In the context of their authors’ martyrdom, they constitute a compelling, heart-wrenching testament to courage and goodness in the face of evil." — Kirkus Reviews"The details of daily living, as noted in these letters and diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl, take on heartrending significance in light of the tragic circumstances that eventually took the lives of the German brother and sister during World War II. . . . With unaffected sincerity, the letters not only express their growing distrust of Hitler's increasing strength, but also shed light on their individual personalities from Sophie's naiveté and schoolgirl enthusiasms to Hans' dedication and deliberateness. In addition, the book lends considerable insight into the moral underpinnings of political resistance in Nazi Germany." — Booklist"Representing six years’ worth of diaries and letters, these well-edited extracts suggest how, over time, both brother and sister subconsciously prepared for the brave work they eventually undertook. It is simultaneously uplifting and agonizing to witness their gradual moral/philosophical development and their speedy capture and execution." — Library Journal"This book conjures up an uncanny sense of the spiritual and physical world inhabited by young Germans during the war. It is both a major historical document and (I can think of no better way of putting it) a testimony to the human spirit." — Paul Robinson, Stanford University

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Book SynopsisDetailed and impeccably researched. Eye-opening'' GUARDIANPunchy and well-reported. Sommer is the perfect person to tell this story'' NEW YORK TIMES''The expert on America's right-wing fringe With kidnappings, murders, and Satanic rituals, this is a story so bizarre, only Will Sommer could report it' AtlanticFor the followers of QAnon, the idea that Donald Trump was anointed by God to stop a depraved deep state government that sexually abuses, kills and eats children is an unquestionable fact. But how did a conspiracy theory from the dark side of the internet convince millions across the world to believe the unbelievable? Who are these people? And more importantly, what do they want?Investigative journalist Will Sommer dives head-first into QAnon: the great American conspiracy with global consequences. With first-hand access to leading figures in the Q movement, Sommer examines how the internet has radicalised politics, threatened democracy, and inspired insurrection and assassination

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Book SynopsisFrom the co-authors of the New York Times-bestselling Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle comes the highly anticipated follow-up, The Genius of Israel, breaking down the defining factors behind Israel's successful trajectory of innovation and explaining how other nations can learn from its development.

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Book SynopsisThe maverick philosopher returns to explore today''s idealogical, political and economic battles, and asks whether radical change is possibleIn these troubled times, even the most pessimistic diagnosis of our future ends with an uplifting hint that things might not be as bad as all that, that there is light at the end of the tunnel.Yet, argues Slavoj Žižek, it is only when we have admit to ourselves that our situation is completely hopeless - that the light at the end of the tunnel is in fact the headlight of a train approaching us from the opposite direction - that fundamental change can be brought about. Surveying the various challenges in the world today, from mass migration and geopolitical tensions to terrorism, the explosion of rightist populism and the emergence of new radical politics - all of which, in their own way, express the impasses of global capitalism - Žižek explores whether there still remains the possibility for genuine change. Today, he proposes, the only true question is,or should be, this: do we endorse the predominant acceptance of capitalism as fact of human nature, or does today''s capitalism contain strong enough antagonisms to prevent its infinite reproduction? Can we, he asks, move beyond the failure of socialism, and beyond the current wave of populist rage, and initiate radical change before the train hits? ''Žižek is a thinker who regards nothing as outside his field: the result is deeply interesting and provocative'' - Guardian ''Žižek leaves no social or cultural phenomenon untheorized, and is master of the counterintuitive observation'' -New YorkerTrade ReviewŽižek is a thinker who regards nothing as outside his field: the result is deeply interesting and provocative * Guardian *Žižek leaves no social or cultural phenomenon untheorized, and is master of the counterintuitive observation * New Yorker *

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Book SynopsisWell beyond the Arab world, El Saadawi's fiction and non-fiction work, from Woman at Point Zero to The Fall of the Imam to her prison memoirs, have earned her a reputation as a refreshing voice of feminism in the Arab World. This series of essays form a selection of El Saadawi's most recent musings, memories and reflections, considering the role of women in Egyptian and wider Islamic society, the inextricability of imperialism from the patriarchy, the meeting point of East and West, and the image and body politic of the woman in the intersections of those cultures. These musings leave no stone unturned and no view unchallenged, and offer the interested reader new insight into El Saadawi's thoughts and reflections.Trade Review“Nawal El Saadawi writes with directness and passion.” * New York Times *“The leading spokeswoman on the status of women in the Arab World.” * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisJon Hoffman is a Foreign Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute, USA, specializing in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, Middle East geopolitics, and political Islam. He is also an adjunct professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, USA. His work has been featured in a number of policy-oriented platforms, including Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, The National Interest, Middle East Policy, and more. Hoffman was included in the inaugural cohort of the 40 under 40 award provided by the Middle East Policy Council for furthering U.S. understanding of the Middle East.

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Book SynopsisFrom the Bronze Age to the twenty-first century, vying armies have clashed over the territory stretching from the Upper Nile to modern-day Iraq and Iran. Ian Barnes’s Crossroads of War captures five millennia of conflict and conquest in detailed full-color maps, accompanied by incisive, accessible commentary.Trade ReviewFrom the earliest cities to the development of three of the world’s leading religions and from supplying much of the world’s petroleum to ongoing war, the Middle East has greatly affected the history of the entire world… This atlas offers excellent maps and accompanying text that attempt to bring this history to life… With a 5,000-year time span, this important work covers more history than any other atlas of the Middle East. -- G. A. Crawford * Choice *

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Book SynopsisSam Harris is the author of five New York Times bestsellers. His books include The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, and Waking Up. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for Nonfiction. His work has been published in more than twenty languages. Harris has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Economist, The Times, the Boston Globe, the Atlantic, Annals of Neurology, and other outlets. He received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA. Please visit his website at SamHarris.org.Trade ReviewI don’t have many can’t miss podcasts, but Making Sense is right at the top of that short list. Sam Harris and his varied and fascinating guests generate light but not heat. The choir is neither preached to nor pointlessly provoked. I have never finished a single episode without having learned something and being given pause for real thought. * Stephen Fry *Even in casual discussion, Sam is intelligent, educated, honest, considered and brave. He’s really not cut out for the Internet. * Ricky Gervais *Sam Harris is the most intellectually courageous man I know, not afraid to speak truths out in the open where others keep those very same thoughts buried, fearful of the modish thought police. His literate intelligence and fluency with words has transferred from the written to the spoken medium, and in his podcast he brings out the best in his guests, including those with whom he disagrees. * Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion *Do yourself a favor, broaden your perspectives and listen to the Making Sense podcast. Whatever your politics, you will find ideas and points of views you've never considered before, in fields you don't know, from neuroscience to computer science to culture. * Anne Applebaum, author of Gulag *Of all the podcasts available, the one nobody should miss is Making Sense. Every episode is stimulating. In an era when everyone seems to have lost their reason, here is one of the few places where reason remains safe. * Douglas Murray, author of The Strange Death of Europe and The Madness of Crowds *

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Book Synopsis'Profoundly powerful not only in observations and stories, but in how courageously and carefully it speaks to our present moment' Madeleine Thien, Guardian Over three years, journalist and novelist Ben Ehrenreich travelled to the West Bank's largest cities and smallest villages, and stayed with the Palestinian families who live there. Here, he weaves together the stories of these women, men and children: the extremes to which they are pushed, the daily absurdities and tragedies they face, and the strategies they construct to survive. What follows is a testimony, a provocation, and an unflinching act of witness. 'I am gripped... Ehrenreich lived with many of those he writes about, and so his story is wonderfully intimate... I feel more like I'm involved in a pacey novel than struggling to swallow yet more unpalatable truths' Observer 'The myriad ordeals suffered by the Palestinian people during the last eighty years are minutely reported here. It's a chronicle of their daily lives. Read it! It recognises and respects hope' John Berger 'Capture[s] events unfolding on the West Bank with sympathy and restraint' Colm Tóibín, Irish TimesTrade ReviewPowerful... Palestinian lives matter to Ehrenreich, and he writes about them from the bottom-up, with hard-boiled lyricism, novelistic intimacy and a revolutionary's sense of urgency. [This] is more than a work of journalism. It is a freedom song, burning with humanity... Heartbreaking and joyful -- Adam ShatzA chillingly beautiful, albeit heartbreaking, chronicle of Palestinian life in the West Bank. It's written with immense empathy, but is equally grounded, and urgently real -- Yasmine El Rashidi * Guardian *The myriad ordeals suffered by the Palestinian people during the last eighty years are minutely reported here. It's a chronicle of their daily lives. Read it! It recognises and respects hope -- John BergerBen Ehrenreich's rendition of the Palestinian experience is powerful, deep and heartbreaking, so much closer to the ground than the Middle East reporting we usually see. I wish there were more writers as brave -- Adam Hochschild, author * To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 *An astonishing book. And that's shocking in itself: Ben Ehrenreich takes a detailed, up-close look at the lives of people whose ordeal, though relentless, remains, most of the time, just below the radar of our governments and mass media. We generally pride ourselves on our willingness to speak for the disadvantaged, but remain truculent and evasive in the case of Palestinians. There can be no more excuses, if The Way to the Spring is given the widespread attention it deserves, for such uncharacteristic moral cowardice -- Robert WyattI loved The Way To The Spring. Ehrenreich is excellent on the nuances of suffering and survival. The book is to be read with acceptance, subtlety and an open mind - just as it was written -- BidishaSo much has been written about the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel but rarely with such vividness, eloquence and success in illuminating complex historical and political realities. The Way to the Spring is a superbly intelligent, informative and critical book about one of the fundamental issues of our time -- Raja ShehadehWritten with fire in the belly and a hawk's eye for the telling fact. The Way to the Spring is an unforgettable read but not an easy one, full of uncomfortable and inconvenient truths. Ehrenreich's great talent is for testimony; the individual human stories that disrupt gross injustice by asking questions about morality, legality and the actual historical record. Ehrenreich's non-fiction debut is a powerful and unwavering pursuit of the through-lines of freedom -- Rachel HolmesMr Ehrenreich did not set out to write an objective book; he does not even think it is possible. This is simply a description, details [...] of what the facts on the ground look like if you are one of a particular group of Palestinians in the West Bank. It should be read by friends and foes of Israel alike * Economist *

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Book SynopsisTHE BOOK WHICH INSPIRED SPOTLIGHT, 2016 WINNER OF THE BEST PICTURE OSCAR AND THE BEST SCREENPLAY OSCAR This is the true story of how a small group of courageous journalists uncovered child abuse on a vast scale - and held the Catholic Church to account. Betrayal is a ground-breaking work of investigative journalism, now brought brilliantly to life on the screen in the major new movie Spotlight. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. On 31 January 2002, the Boston Globe published a report that sent shockwaves around the world. Their findings, based on a six-month campaign by the 'Spotlight' investigative team, showed that hundreds of children in Boston had been abused by Catholic priests, and that this horrific pattern of behaviour had been known - and ignored - by the Catholic Church. Instead of protecting the community it was meant to serve, the Church exploited its powerful influence to protect itself from scandal - and innocent children paid the price. This is the story from beginning to end: the predatory men who exploited the vulnerable, the cabal of senior Church officials who covered up their crimes, the 'hush money' used to buy the victims' silence, the survivors who found the strength to tell their story, and the Catholics across the world who were left shocked, angry, and betrayed. This is the story, too, of how they took power back, confronted their Church and called for sweeping change. Updated for the release of the Oscar-nominated film Spotlight, this is a devastating and important exposure of the abuse of power at the highest levels in society.Trade ReviewA riveting, tragic read. * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisFrom the moment Pope Francis stepped on to the balcony of St Peter''s Basilica for the first time, a global audience sensed that not only the Catholic Church but the world at large could be entering a new spiritual, political and social age. In the days following Pope Francis'' election, there would be further early signs of the simplicity worthy of the first apostles and the leader that inspired them. Not since John XIII appeared on the scene half a century earlier had a new Pope opened the windows of the Church in such a way as to let in some much needed fresh air. Nevertheless, for the excitement generated by the first Latin American Pope and a man who claimed to want to put the poor back at the centre of the Church''s social teaching, people could still only guess where it might be all be leading.Francis: Pope of Good Promise is neither an instant media job, nor a hagiography based on authorised interviews, but the product of diligent investigation across Trade ReviewBurns writes with colour and panache * The Scotsman *His [Burns] scenes and landscapes have a cinematic quality * Independent *His [Burns] experience as a successful international writer and broadcaster and wealth of Argentine and Catholic Church contacts makes him uniquely placed to provide a compelling account of an Argentine Jesuit, the first ever Latin American Pope, who has captured the imagination of the world.

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Book SynopsisIn this follow-up to The Kingdom and the Glory and The Highest Poverty, Agamben investigates the roots of our moral concept of duty in the theory and practice of Christian liturgy. Beginning with the New Testament and working through to late scholasticism and modern papal encyclicals, Agamben traces the Church''s attempts to repeat Christ''s unrepeatable sacrifice. Crucial here is the paradoxical figure of the priest, who becomes more and more a pure instrument of God''s power, so that his own motives and character are entirely indifferent as long as he carries out his priestly duties. In modernity, Agamben argues, the Christian priest has become the model ethical subject. We see this above all in Kantian ethics. Contrasting the Christian and modern ontology of duty with the classical ontology of being, Agamben contends that Western philosophy has unfolded in the tension between the two. This latest installment in the study of Western political structures begun in HTrade Review"Opus Dei: An Archaeology of Duty is a bold and engaging book, opening up much fertile ground for future work. I find it to be both insightful and admirable, and a masterly success."—Analysis & Metaphysics

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Book SynopsisRabbi Sacks'' thesis on the future of British society and the dangers facing liberal democracy. With a new foreword by Daniel Finkelstein.Arguing that global communications have fragmented national cultures and that multiculturalism, intended to reduce social frictions, is today reinforcing them, Sacks argues for a new approach to national identity, making the case for integrated diversity within a framework of shared political values.Britain, he argues, will have to construct a national narrative as a basis for identity, reinvigorate the concept of the common good, and identify shared interests among currently conflicting groups. It must restore a culture of civility, protect neutral spaces from politicization, and find ways of moving beyond an adversarial culture in which the loudest voice wins. He argues for a responsibility- rather than rights-based model of citizenship that connects the ideas of giving and belonging.Offering a new paradigm

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Book SynopsisThe delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention blocked the establishment of Christianity as a national religion. But they could not keep religion out of American politics. This title shows that religion became sectarian and partisan whenever it entered the political fray, and that religious agendas have always mixed with nonreligious ones.Trade Review"Of the writing of books about the rise and rumored fall of the religious right there is no end. But most of these tend toward the genre of the rant, which is why Lambert's new book is important. It gives a history of the intertwining of evangelical faith and political engagement in America that displays no obvious agenda other than to illuminate... The whole book will be useful as a handy, clear and fair treatment of this most contentious subject."--Publishers Weekly "Religion in American Politics ... traces the interplay between pulpits and the public square through nearly two centuries of U.S. history. Some things, [Lambert] writes, never change."--Daniel Burke, Washington Post "For students of U.S. religion and religious history, this is a useful and very interesting book. Despite many attempts to understand the relations between religion and politics, there have been few efforts to trace these interrelationships throughout U.S. history. Lambert takes on such a task enthusiastically and successfully, in a 'short' survey of 250 pages."--J. F. Findlay, Choice "In this election season, with candidates often touting their plans to include religion in their political platforms, Lambert's richly-textured book provides a timely reminder of the divisiveness of religion and the wisdom of the Founding Fathers in keeping it out of national politics."--Henry L. Carrigan, Jr., ForeWord "Despite the constitutional separation of church and state, the two have in fact had a long, convoluted, intertwined history, as explored by Frank Lambert in his new book, Religion in American Politics: A Short History. While no official faith-based litmus test has ever been established for those running for elected office, Lambert, a history professor at Purdue University, posits that the influence of religion is, and has been, both foreground and background in American politics... Perhaps Lambert's most successful achievement with his book is the correction of the perception that this phenomenon is anything new, or that it will go away any time soon."--In the Fray Magazine "Among other things, Lambert shows how the American sons of the Enlightenment were drawn to secularism, at least politically but, in the case of Jefferson and some others, in terms of personal belief as well. The representatives who met in 1787 to write the Constitution (replacing the Articles of Confederation, the looser document that sprang directly from the revolution) ensured that Christianity was not the nation's official state religion. We learn that Adams was hardly alone in his reaction to Jefferson's victory over him. Religious leaders connected to Adams' party, the Federalists, called Jefferson unfit to lead 'a Christian nation', even one that was unofficially so."--George Featherling, Seven Oaks Magazine "The book's fine scholarly grain allows several sides of the story to shine through at once, yet Religion in American Politics: A Short History also paints a welcome big picture... The book's most encouraging aspect is its sensitive treatment of diversity within religious traditions... [T]o read his history is to sense how much poorer American public culture would be without the active participation of people of faith. Imagine the civil rights movement without the spirituals."--Marion Maddox, Australian Review of Public Affairs "It's hard to have a conversation or argument about religion and politics in America without dragging history into it. At the very least, many of us feel compelled to invoke the Founders on behalf of a vision of America either as some sort of 'Christian nation' or as the first and most successful secular republic. In his brief but generally judicious Religion in American Politics, Purdue historian Frank Lambert demonstrates that this is nothing new: Proponents of both visions have been arguing back and forth since the time of the founding. Since his is a 'short history,' Lambert doesn't exhaustively document every intersection of religion and politics. Rather, he picks his moments, showing how they reveal particular versions of our hardy perennial debate."--Joseph Knippenberg, Weekly Standard "Lambert's subtle and learned exposition of the evolution of religion within American culture is admirably clear and engaging."--Andrew Preston, Ecclesiastical History "Religion in American Politics is one of those rare scholarly books that actually manage to deliver more than it promises. In charting the relationship between politics and religion in American life, Lambert manages to provide an elegant, even-handed, and comprehensive account of the role religious faith has played in shaping the nation's destiny."--Shawn Francis Peters, Journal of Church and State "Religion in American Politics is a useful survey, not least because Lambert seeks to probe beyond some of the shopworn examples of religious and political entanglements."--Randall Balmer, Cambridge Journals "Lambert's clear and well-conceived analysis is framed within his understanding of religious culture as a competitive marketplace... Students and scholars interested in church-state issues in the United States will not regret reaching [this] book. Lambert's judicious treatment of sources and his attention to context give his work an authority that quotation warriors usually lack. Religion in American Politics may not be edgy, but it is wise."--Chris Beneke, Journal of Southern History "The reader is introduced to important actors and arguments and, after reading this volume, will have enough direction to pursue further investigation. The book is also a joy to read; Lambert not only has a felicitous style, but often finds just the right quotation from a protagonist or scholar to make a particular point without belaboring it. For general readers, or as a starter for an undergraduate course in American religion and politics, this book would be a fine choice."--James L. Guth, Cambridge JournalsTable of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER ONE: Providential and Secular America: Founding the Republic 14 CHAPTER TWO: Elusive Protestant Unity: Sunday Mails, Catholic Immigration, and Sectional Division 41 CHAPTER THREE: The "Gospel of Wealth" and the "Social Gospel": Industrialization and the Rise of Corporate America 74 CHAPTER FOUR: Faith and Science: The Modernist-Fundamentalist Controversy 104 CHAPTER FIVE: Religious and Political Liberalism: The Rise of Big Government from the New Deal to the Cold War 130 CHAPTER SIX: Civil Rights as a Religious Movement: Politics in the Streets 160 CHAPTER SEVEN: The Rise of the "Religious Right": The Reagan Revolution and the "Moral Majority" 184 CHAPTER EIGHT: Reemergence of the "Religious Left"? America's Culture War in the Early Twenty-first Century 218 NOTES 251 INDEX 271

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Book SynopsisFour leading thinkers confront the paradoxes and dilemmas attending the supposed stand-off between Islam and liberal democratic values.Trade Review"I can't imagine a set of more rigorous, humane and insightful interlocutors on this vital aspect of the public sphere." -- -Jonathan Boyarin University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill "This conversation among Asad, Brown, Butler, and Mahmood offers an important snapshot of the rich debates on post-secularism and critiques of secularism. These essays provide succinct and accessible discussions of key issues in these debates." -- -Annika Thiem Villanova University "This original and provocative book is an invitation to go beyond political niceties and engage issues of religious difference with candor. Both scholarly and engaging, the book uplifts the level of public debate on the entanglement of religious and secular reasoning in the making of modern publics." -- -Veena Das Johns Hopkins UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Wendy Brown Free Speech, Blasphemy, and Secular Criticism Talal Asad Religious Reason and Secular Affect: An Incommensurable Divide? Saba Mahmood The Sensibility of Critique: Response to Asad and Mahmood Judith Butler Reply to Judith Butler Talal Asad Reply to Judith Butler Saba Mahmood

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Book Synopsis'Shocking, heartfelt and well-researched' New Statesman'A ground-shaping book that defines the edge of so many vital contemporary debates. Hers is a voice simultaneously behind and beyond the veil' Colum McCann'A fascinating, can't-look-away, whistle-stop tour of the Middle East' Daily Telegraph'Brave and impassioned . . . A shocking book, and one that will make anyone who has seen veiling as a cultural issue think very hard about what is really going on' Mail on SundayHeadscarves and Hymens explodes the myth that we should stand back and watch while women are disempowered and abused in the name of religion. In this laceratingly honest account, Eltahawy takes aim both at attitudes in the Middle East and at the western liberals who mistake misogyny for cultural difference. Her argument is clear: unless political revolution in the Arab world is accompanied by social and sexual revolution, no progress will be made.Headscarves and Hymens is the book the world has been crying out for: a powerful, fearless account of what it really means to be a woman in the Muslim world. 'A fascinating, can't-look-away, whistle-stop tour of the Middle East' Daily Telegraph'Brave and impassioned . . . A shocking book, and one that will make anyone who has seen veiling as a cultural issue think very hard about what is really going on' Mail on Sunday Trade ReviewSo we have a winner for book-title of 2015 @monaeltahawy's 'Headscarves & Hymens - Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution.' BRAVO -- Caitlin MoranNow Eltahawy has written this fearless roar-to-arms, which sets her own experiences - including how she was groped while on Hajj in Mecca - alongside those of dozens of other women. She illustrates the misogynistic and sometimes downright barbaric attitudes towards women in the Arab world; from the Hobson's Choice of the hijab and the Saudi cleric who declared that women shouldn't drive because it damages their ovaries; to FGM and Rawan, the eight-year-old Yemeni "bride", who died of internal bleeding after being violently penetrated on her "wedding night". Sometimes we need books that will make us angry enough to want to change things. This book will certainly disturb you, and possibly make you very angry indeed - but you must read it. -- Caroline Sanderson * THE BOOKSELLER - Editor's Choice Book of the Month *Shocking, heartfelt and well-researched * NEW STATESMAN *This feisty Egyptian lady made headlines after she was arrested by police, beaten and sexually assaulted in 2011 during the Egyptian revolution. Her subsequent article for Foreign Policy magazine, Why Do They Hate Us?, was a no-holds barred attack on the treatment of women in many Arab countries. "When it comes to the status of women in the Middle East," she wrote, "it's not better than you think. It is much, much worse" -- Camilla Cavendish * SUNDAY TIMES *'Headscarves and Hymens is an impassioned, deeply felt and affecting memoir that confronts a very real problem. -- Tahmima Anim * THE TIMES *Brave and impassioned . . . A shocking book, and one that will make anyone who has seen veiling as a cultural issue think very hard about what is really going on * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Inequality, state brutality, resentment, sexual frustration, religious indoctrination, shame culture and struggle for power . . . Eltahawy holds a match to this combustible mix . . . A brave call for gender equality * GUARDIAN *(What are you currently reading?) Headscarves and Hymens by Mona Eltahawy. I was lucky enough to interview Mona recently and she is enormously inspiring and very, very funny. -- Laura Bates * THE INDEPENDENT *This is a fascinating, can't-look-away, whistle-stop tour of the Middle East through the eyes of an angry but lucid observer. Eltahawy is brave as well as perceptive: her reports cause outrage and controversy. She blames the West as much as Middle Eastern attitudes for the lack of change, especially Western liberals who criticise imperialism and yet turn a blind eye to the cultural imperialism that doesn't push misogyny to the fore, as if there might time to sort that out later when more important matters have been "fixed". -- Viv Groskop * DAILY TELEGRAPH *This a call to arms against misogyny in the Arab world is furiously plain-speaking. -- Viv Groskop * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *To Eltahawy, the root of this inequality is clear: "a toxic mix of culture and religion", particularly Islam, and more particularly the spread of its ultra-conservative Saudi-style interpretation. -- Rachel Aspden * THE GUARDIAN *Overall, however, it is the oscillation between the personal and the political that makes Headscarves and Hymens a tour de force...Sometimes we need books that will make us angry enough to want to change things. This courageous book will certainly disturb you, and may make you very angry indeed. But you still must read it. -- Caroline Sanderson * MSLEXIA *Headscarves and Hymens is less a call to arms and more a protracted bellow for equality, progress and common sense. -- Anakana Schofield * IRISH TIMES *This book should be made compulsory reading in all those schools where British Muslim girls are being groomed to go abroad to be Islamic State brides. Eltahawy is laceratingly honest about how hard it has been for her as an Arab Muslim woman to confront the institutional misogyny of her culture, to free herself of the "taboos and silence". Only when there has been a revolution in the relations between the sexes, she insists, will there ever be genuine political change in the Middle East. -- Daisy Goodwin * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Headscarves and Hymens is useful for those who are new to the situation in the Middle East, as it's a good overview of the main social issues affecting the region. * NEW INTERNATIONALIST *This is a timely and provocative call to action for gender equality in the Middle East * PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY (USA) *Eltahawy's passionately argued case is irrefutable. But how to harness this rage to achieve real political change remains the unanswered question. * SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (Australia) *In her debut book, Egyptian-American journalist and commentator Eltahawy mounts an angry indictment of the treatment of women throughout the Arab world. * KIRKUS REVIEWS (USA) *This is a ground-shaping book that defines the edge of so many vital contemporary debates. Hers is a voice simultaneously behind and beyond the veil. -- Colum McCannThis a powerful global feminist demand for equal rights. -- Vanessa Bush * BOOKLIST (USA) *Headscarves and Hymens is a call to arms by a woman who's plainly proud of her justified rage. She brings to mind those angry, outspoken women in the 1970s who were branded "strident" feminists - the ones who yelled, who offended, but who generated change. "It is the job of a revolution to shock, to provoke, and to upset," Eltahawy writes, "not to behave or be polite." Mission accomplished. -- Marcia Kaye * TORONTO STAR (Canada) *Mona Eltahawy brings a journalist's keen eye, a revolutionary's prophetic courage, and a feminist's incendiary intellect to this work, demolishing the last cultural relativist myths. And she writes so well that it's hard to put down this audacious, information-packed treasure about the half of the Arab world that's female. Miss this book-the real key to the Middle East-at your peril. -- Robin MorganHeadscarves and Hymens is timely, important and much needed. It should be translated into many languages, especially those spoken in the Middle East. Eltahawy encourages the girls of the Middle East and North Africa to be "immodest, rebel and disobey" and know they are entitled to be free. Her book deserves to be widely read, discussed and acclaimed. -- Elif Shafak * LITERARY REVIEW *A passionate and brilliantly argued polemic....When I put down Eltahawy's deeply affecting book, I felt that a bit more Enlightenment universalism is in order. Instead of bellyaching when some idiotic man calls a woman "dear" or a hideous professor sends his student a creepy email, feminists should wake up and recognise the cruel, systematic violence that millions of women still face throughout the world. -- Jane O'Grady * THE TABLET *Informative and engaging, a brave and much needed insight into suffering which is rarely talked about openly. * THE F WORD *

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Book SynopsisV. S. Naipaul was born in Trinidad in 1932. He came to England on a scholarship in 1950. He spent four years at University College, Oxford, and began to write, in London, in 1954. He pursued no other profession.His novels include A House for Mr Biswas, The Mimic Men, Guerrillas, A Bend in the River, and The Enigma of Arrival. In 1971 he was awarded the Booker Prize for In a Free State. His works of nonfiction, equally acclaimed, include Among the Believers, Beyond Belief, The Masque of Africa, and a trio of books about India: An Area of Darkness, India: A Wounded Civilization and India: A Million Mutinies Now.In 1990, V. S. Naipaul received a knighthood for services to literature; in 1993, he was the first recipient of the David Cohen British Literature Prize. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. He lived with his wife Nadira and cat Augustus in Wiltshire, and died in 20Trade ReviewCompelling, insightful, often somberly beautiful. * Sunday Telegraph *Naipaul travels, he asks, he listens attentively and, above all else, he notices, often seeing what others do not or cannot. That acute gift has never left him . . . he is sustained by the old ideal of unadorned truth-telling. * New Statesman *The quality of Naipaul’s writing – simple, concise, engaging – rarely varies . . . Above all, Naipaul’s latest African journey is eyewitness reporting at its best. * Time *

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Book SynopsisVoltaire's Pocket Philosophical Dictionary is a major work of the European Enlightenment. It consists of a series of short essays, arranged alphabetically, whose unifying thread is an attack on religious and political intolerance. Highly entertaining, its concern with intolerance and its consequences is still relevant today.Trade Reviewa marvellously Swiftian look at the bleakness of existence. * Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian *In John Fletcher's wonderfully luminous translation, the Dictionnaire philosophique portatif is like a breath of fresh air... Nicholas Cronk's discreet, helpful introduction and notes direct us to Voltaire's main concern: religion. * David Coward, Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisAs the global marketplace grows and becomes more complex, increasing stress is placed upon employees. Businesses are acknowledging this change in work habits by adapting the work place to offer support through multifaith chaplaincy. Multifaith chaplaincy is based on developing relationships of trust between diverse faith communities and the public workplace. Through the experience of starting the first multifaith chaplaincy in Canary Wharf, the author offers insights into current conditions and challenges of chaplaincy in the business community.Writing as an Anglican priest, Fiona Stewart-Darling shows the importance of chaplaincy teams drawing on different faith traditions. This book is an important contribution to the emerging debate around the role of chaplaincy in faith and business communities. This research will be of particular interest to those working in or setting up chaplaincies in different contexts such as hospitals, prisons, town centre chaplaincies working with businesses and business leaders, particularly those involved in diversity and inclusion in the workplace.Trade ReviewA uniquely rich source of guidance for those on the journey to recognise and integrate faith more fully as a key ingredient in our working lives and in our capacity to contribute to society. -- Sir David Walker, former Chairman of the Multi-faith ChaplaincyContains a depth of understanding that combines sharp analysis of the complex coming together of faiths and workplaces in a global economy, facing the key issues (including the awkward ones), and offering wise ways through them. -- David F. Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Welcome to my World. 2. 'After Industrial Mission' - Why We Still Need Workplace Chaplaincy? 3. Multifaith Chaplaincy. 4. The Role of Wisdom alongside Ethics, Values and Culture. 5. Understanding Mission in the Context of Chaplaincy. 6. Why Faith Communities Need Chaplains and Why Chaplains Need Faith Communities. Conclusion: Open Questions. Appendix: The Golden Rule in Core Religious Texts. References. Further Reading.

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Book SynopsisIt is impossible to understand Palestine today without a careful reading of its distant and past. This book offers a detailed interpretation of this critical region's evolution. Starting with the prebiblical and biblical roots of Palestine, it examines the meanings ascribed to the land in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions.Trade ReviewGudrun Kramer, Winner of the 2010 Gerda Henkel Prize, Gerda Henkel Foundation "The 400 years before the founding of the Jewish state is a historiographical minefield, but Kramer, a professor of Islamic studies at Free University Berlin, manages to produce an illuminating survey of the terrain...Kramer's fluent narrative pairs a much-needed focus on facts--including useful data on contentious issues of population growth and land ownership--with an evenhanded avoidance of partisanship."--Publishers Weekly "We tend not to notice that Palestine existed as a territory before there was an Israel, and before there was a Palestinian national movement. Kramer, professor of Islamic studies at Free University Berlin, goes back to early 19th-century Egyptian rule, and then to the modernization undertaken by the Ottoman Empire, to situate the present in its historical context."--Martin Levin, The Globe and Mail "An excellent source for those desiring an understanding of the background to the present-day unrest in the region."--L. Edward Sizemore, Dallas Morning News "[Kramer] brilliantly contextualizes Arab anti-Semitism by investigating how, for the Palestinian population, the borders between Jew and Zionist gradually became blurred. By making a series of similar investigations, tracing all the defining points of the conflict, she has been able to write a book that stands out as necessary background reading for all scholars intent on investigating the current situation in Palestine."--Jorgen Jensehaugen, Journal of Peace Research "This is a welcome addition to the growing number of studies on this increasingly popular field, and the book will be of much use to those teaching classes on Middle Eastern history, the history of the Ottoman Empire and Israel Studies. It will also prove useful in seminars on the construction of historical narratives, the connection between religion and nationalism, and processes of decolonialization."--Scott Ury, Religious Studies Review "Kramer's is a well-researched and thoroughly referenced work of synthesis offered by a cautious and reflective historian... A History of Palestine is a respectable addition to the synthetic literature in the field. For the non-specialist reader, the book offers a good introduction to the social, political, cultural, and economic history of Palestine and a wealth of statistical information. For specialists, the book is a further reminder of the challenges posed by colonial history and to the importance, in the twenty-first century, of including the voices of the indigenous peoples as well as the colonists."--Abdel Razzaq Takriti, English Historical Review "[T]his is the first serious biography of the mufti to appear in 14 years and only the fourth ever to appear in English. The authors should be encouraged to greatly expand their research for a much larger second edition. The first edition is already valuable for the dark tale it tells."--Marin Sieff, Sunday Times "Gudrun Kramer's book, although its name is not attractive, is a very interesting, well written book, which can enrich even those who know the history of Palestine. For those who will use it as a first book on Palestine, it is a good starting place."--Gideon Biger, Shofar "For anyone seriously interested in the century-old Arab/Jewish struggle for the land they both call holy, you must get acquainted with Gudrun Kramer's A History of Palestine. A professor of Islamic studies at Free University of Berlin, she presents an exhaustive overview of the country's past from the Ottoman conquest to the creation of Israel, albeit with a subtle Arabist slant."--Tim Boxer, 15 Minutes Magazine "[T]his is a comprehensive and readable account which should be useful to both students and scholars. Kramer's insistence on confronting the historiographical dominance of 1882 is a valuable intervention, and her long view of the past gives today's conflict the wider historical context that too many commentators choose to overlook."--Anna Bernard, Modernism/modernityTable of ContentsList of Illustrations vii List of Tables ix Preface xi Abbreviations xiii CHAPTER ONE: Names and Borders 1 CHAPTER TWO: The Holiness of the "Holy Land" 18 CHAPTER THREE: Contrasts: Palestine, 1750-1840 37 CHAPTER FOUR: The Age of Reform, 1840-1914 71 CHAPTER FIVE: Evolving Nationalisms: Zionism and Arabism, 1880-1914 101 CHAPTER SIX: "A Land without a People for a People without a Land"? Population, Settlement, and Cultivation, 1800-1914 128 CHAPTER SEVEN: World War I and the British Mandate 139 CHAPTER EIGHT: Double Standard, or Dual Obligation 164 CHAPTER NINE: "Two Peoples in One Land" 188 CHAPTER TEN: The Mufti and the Wailing Wall 216 CHAPTER ELEVEN: From Unrest to Uprising 238 CHAPTER TWELVE: The Arab Uprising, 1936-39 264 CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Triumph and Catastrophe: From World War II to the State of Israel 296 Bibliography 325 Index 343

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Book SynopsisBy turns tragic and hopeful, the history of Israel and Palestine through the lens of the world's most popular sport.Football has never been shy of politics. This is especially true for Israel and Palestine. A sport introduced by Victorian churchmen swiftly became a vehicle for nationalism and pride. Under British military rule, Jewish and Palestinian teams competed in the same leagues, not only on the pitch, but in smoky committee rooms and street corners, as the two communities fought for control of the sport. After the creation of Israel in 1948, Palestinian football survived among refugees, with Jordan's greatest side hailing from the poorest of the camps on the fringes of the capital. In recent years, Israel's dynamic Premier League has seen some of the country's best teams and players emerge from the Palestinian community - inspiring hope that football might help Arabs and Jews become friends and equals. Meanwhile, in the West Bank and Gaza, a series of s

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