A black woman recalls the anguish of her childhood in Arkansas and her adolescence in northern slums.

"Drawing on work in philosophy, cultural studies, sociology, literary criticism, and political science, The Swedish Theory of Love shines a light on the workings of individualism in a far from utopian order of things"-- In 2020 Sweden's response to COVID-19 drew renewed attention to the Nordic nation in a way that put the finger on a seeming paradox. Long celebrated for its commitment to social solidarity, Sweden suddenly emerged as the last country...

He was Sam Clemens, steamboat pilot, before he was Mark Twain, famous author. His better-known name originated with the lingo of navigation, and much of his writing was informed by his shipboard adventures on one of the world's great rivers. In this book, Twain offered recollections ranging from his salad days as a novice pilot to views from the passenger decks in the twilight of the river culture's heyday. Under the tutelage of the most celebrated...

A wise and witty compendium of the greatest thoughts, greatest minds, and greatest books of all time-listed in accessible and succinct form-by one of the world's greatest scholars. From the "Hundred Best Books" to the "Ten Greatest Thinkers" to the "Ten Greatest Poets," here is a concise collection of the world's most significant knowledge. For the better part of a century, Will Durant dwelled upon-and wrote about-the most significant eras, individuals,...

True story of a boy whose mother gave him away to be raised by a psychiatrist. He had to survive a bizarre household where there were no rules, no school, and Valium was eaten like candy.

Hailed for her "fearless indictment of the most powerful man in Russia" (The Wall Street Journal), award-winning journalist Masha Gessen is unparalleled in her understanding of the events and forces that have wracked her native country in recent times. In The Future Is History, she follows the lives of four people born at what promised to be the dawn of democracy. Each of them came of age with unprecedented expectations, some as the children and grandchildren...

How do specific secular and religious ideologies-such as nationalism, neoliberalism, atheism, Pentecostalism, Tablighi Islam, and shamanism-gain popularity and when do they lose traction? To answer these questions, Mathijs Pelkmans critically examines the trajectories of a range of ideologies as they move into the post-Soviet frontier in Central Asia. Ethnographically rooted in the everyday life of a former mining town in southern Kyrgyzstan, Fragile...

"Explores the eventful intertwining of outward event and inner intellectual life to tell, in all its richness and depth, the story of the 17th century in Europe. It was a time of creativity unparalleled in history before or since, from science to the arts, from philosophy to politics ... Grayling points to three primary factors [behind this epochal shift]: the rise of vernacular (popular) languages in philosophy, theology, science, and literature;...

Discusses the history of the Harlem Renaissance, highlighting important people, places, events, and artistic works. Also examines the movement's legacy. Includes informational sidebars, photographs, statistics, critical thinking questions, a fast facts section, and a glossary.

A comprehensive guidebook to all the homes in which Laura Ingalls Wilder once lived and which have now been preserved as historic landmarks and museums.