Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining: America's Toughest Family Court Judge Speaks Out

The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India, the Emerging 21st-Century Power

Shashi Tharoor · 498 pages

Documents the transformation of India from a largely underdeveloped region into an innovative society, profiling it as one of the world's scientific and technological leaders while providing insight into its political, economic, and cultural climate.

Dogs and Demons: Tales From the Dark Side of Modern Japan

Alex Kerr · 432 pages

"In an ancient tale, a Chinese emperor asks his court painter about the easiest and most difficult subjects to paint. The painter replies, "Dogs are difficult, demons are easy." To Alex Kerr, a longtime resident expert and observer, Japan's "dogs" are the vital activities that sustain an ecologically and culturally responsible economy, while the expedient "demons" are the million-dollar boondoggle

The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism

Karen Armstrong · 442 pages

"In The Battle for God, Karen Armstrong shows us how and why fundamentalist groups came into existence and what they yearn to accomplish.". "We see the West in the sixteenth century beginning to create an entirely new kind of civilization, which brought in its wake change in every aspect of life - often painful and violent, even if liberating. Armstrong argues that one of the things that changed

Harry's Last Stand: How the World My Generation Built is Falling Down, and What We Can Do to Save It

Harry Leslie Smith

We Gon' Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation

Jeff Chang · 200 pages

"In his most recent book, Who We Be, Jeff Chang looked at how art and culture effected massive social changes in American society. Since the book was published, the country has been gripped by waves of racial discord, most notably the protests in Ferguson, Missouri. In these highly relevant, powerful essays, Chang examines some of the most contentious issues in the current discussion of race and i

Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind

Gad Saad

Culture of Complaint: The Fraying of America

Robert Hughes · 210 pages

The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It

Paul Collier · 209 pages

"In this elegant and impassioned synthesis from one of the world's leading experts on Africa and poverty, economist Paul Collier writes persuasively that although nearly five billion of the world's people are beginning to climb from desperate poverty and to benefit from globalization's reach to developing countries, there is a "bottom billion" of the world's poor whose countries, largely immune to

The Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post-9/11 America

Susan Faludi · 359 pages

In this original examination of America's post-9/11 culture, journalist Faludi shines a light on the country's psychological response to the attacks of that terrible day. Turning her observational powers on the media, popular culture, and political life, Faludi unearths a barely acknowledged societal drama shot through with baffling contradictions. Why, she asks, did our culture respond to an assa

Dark Age Ahead

Jane Jacobs · 241 pages

Dark Age Ahead is a 2004 book by Jane Jacobs describing what she sees as the decay of five key "pillars" in "North America": community and family, higher education, science and technology, taxes and government responsiveness to citizen's needs, and self-regulation by the learned professions. She argues that this decay threatens to create a Dark Age unless the trends are reversed. Jacobs charact

Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class

Noam Scheiber · 384 pages

Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion from Reagan's Workplaces to Clinton's Columbine and Beyond

Mark Ames · 280 pages

The American Way Of Killing

Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell examines why there are so many homicides in the United States and what stops us from fixing this issue. Read by the author. 5 hours, 18 minutes unabridged.

Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man's Education

Mychal Denzel Smith · 240 pages

"A prominent journalist and contributing writer to The Nation magazine describes his education and the experiences of black masculinity against a backdrop of the Obama administration, the death of Trayvon Martin, the career of LeBron James and other pivotal influences that have shaped race relations in today's America,"--NoveList. How do you learn to be a black man in America? For young black men

Bad Feminist

Roxane Gay · 360 pages

A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay. "Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink, all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once l

The Prize: Who's in Charge of America's Schools?

Dale Russakoff · 246 pages

"Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Christie, and Cory Booker were ready to reform our failing schools. They got an education. When Mark Zuckerberg announced in front of a cheering Oprah audience his $100 million pledge to transform the Newark Schools -- and to solve the education crisis in every city in America -- it looked like a huge win for then-mayor Cory Booker and governor Chris Christie. But their pla

The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things

Barry Glassner · 279 pages

In this eye-opening examination of a pathology that has swept the country, sociologist Barry Glassner reveals why Americans are burdened with overblown fears. He exposes the people and organizations that manipulate our perceptions and profit from our anxieties: politicians who win elections by heightening concerns about crime and drug use even as both are declining; advocacy groups that raise mon

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race

Reni Eddo-Lodge · 272 pages

In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote on her blog about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren't affected by it. Her words hit a nerve. The post went viral and comments flooded in from others desperate to speak up about their own experiences. Galvanised, she decided to dig into the source of these feelings. Ex

Consumed - How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults & Swallow Citizens Whole

Benjamin R. Barber · 406 pages

Just Mercy a story of justice and redemption By Bryan Stevenson & So You Want to Talk About Race By Ijeoma Oluo 2 Books Collection Set

Bryan Stevenson, Ijeoma Oluo

Infidel

Ayaan Hirsi Ali · 353 pages

"Ultimately a celebration of triumph over adversity, Hirsi Ali's story tells how a bright little girl evolved out of dutiful obedience to become an outspoken, pioneering freedom fighter. As Western governments struggle to balance democratic ideals with religious pressures, no story could be timelier or more significant.--From publisher description."--From source other than the Library of Congress

Free the Children

Craig Kielburger · 322 pages

Craig Kielburger and the human-rights organization he founded at age twelve have made headlines around the globe and brought unprecedented attention to the world-wide abuse of children's rights.

Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land

David K. Shipler · 596 pages

Examines the relationships, mutual images, and stereotypes that have evolved between Arabs and Jews in Israel and in territorities under Israeli control.

Everyday Sexism

Laura Bates · 406 pages

In a culture that's driven by social media, women are using this online space to come together, share their stories and encourage a new generation to recognise the problems that women face. This book is a call to arms in a new wave of feminism, and it proves sexism is endemic - socially, politically and economically - but women won't stand for it.