Books, Toys and Games
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Origin of Politics: How Evolution and Ideology Shape the Fate of Nations
The renowned New York Times bestselling author of Before the Dawn breaks down the startling ways that evolution explains why societies succeed and fail. In the modern world, human nature is seldom taken into account by those who would reshape society. Nicholas Wade argues that's a terrible mistake.Human nature, in the view of the progressive left, is easily ignored or else shaped into whatever the latest political doctrine may require. But the conservative view, that social engineering can never change human nature for the better, is not true either. In this deeply researched survey of biological and political history, Wade reveals the effect of ideologies that ignore human nature. Marx and Engels proposed to eliminate the family as a social unit. Their followers have sought to overturn the patriarchy and divert allegiance from the family to the state. In reality, while some policies influence human nature for the better, like those that have abolished tribalism, others, such as socialism, conflict with human nature and undermine the operation of a society.Combining the scope of Yuval Noah Harari with the political savvy of Francis Fukuyama, The Origin of Politics, Wade's work draws from anthropology, evolutionary biology, and historical analysis to explore how human nature shapes the direction of society--and how policies which ignore human nature risk chaos and even extinction.Political scientists agree that the roots of politics must lie in human nature, but then assume that human behavior is infinitely flexible. The Origin of Politics shows that limits set by human evolution cannot be ignored without penalty.
$32.00
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Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World
In the early 1960s, a peaceful world was an imaginable goal. The still-young United Nations was widely respected and regarded as humankind's best hope for resolving global conflicts. African and Asian nations, having recently won their freedom from colonial domination, sought dignity and influence on the world stage. At the helm of their international efforts was U Thant, a practicing Buddhist from a remote town in Burma who, as the UN's first non-Western secretary-general, became the Cold War era's preeminent ambassador of peace.From the moment of his predecessor's mysterious death in 1961, Thant faced a deluge of violent conflicts in Congo, Yemen, Cyprus, and Nigeria, as well as one between India and Pakistan, that threatened larger conflagrations.Crucially, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, he played an indispensable role--virtually hidden until now--in defusing tensions and helping both superpowers find a way back from nuclear confrontation. For years Thant also challenged Washington over its war in Vietnam, identifying paths to peace that could have saved the lives of millions.Drawing on newly declassified documents, Thant's grandson, historian Thant Myint-U, gives a riveting account of how his grandfather's gentle yet willful disposition shaped his determination to avoid a third world war, give voice to the newly decolonized world, create a fairer international economy, and safeguard the environment. Rather than a vestige of an idealistic past, U Thant's fight for peace is central to a fresh understanding of our world today.
$35.00
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Psychobabble: Viral Mental Health Myths & the Truths to Set You Free
Psychotherapist Joe Nucci (@JoeNucciTherapy) shares truth and research as he discusses common mental health myths and replaces them with no-nonsense truths and accessible guidance for real healing.The popularization of mental health content on social media has led to an epidemic of mental health misinformation. In Psychobabble, licensed psychotherapist Joe Nucci argues that too many of us are self-diagnosing, improperly deploying therapy-speak, and even coaching others to engage in harmful activities under the guise of "self-care."Nucci dismantles 40 popular misconceptions, such as: Everyone needs to go to therapy.Your feelings are credible.People gaslight you when they disagree.Mindfulness is good for everyone.Everyone has trauma.The reason you can't focus is ADHD.This dangerous misinformation encourages well-meaning individuals to make consequential life decisions based on false beliefs, half-truths, and the advice of unlicensed armchair experts. It is time for a professional to call this out. Nucci replaces these myths with liberating truths that can help readers avoid misinformation, navigate important philosophical debates, and better maneuver their own mental health journeys. He shares client examples and evidence-based psychological theory, and draws from reputable studies and research.TikTok influencers and "life coaches" create viral videos telling people to cut off their problematic parents, and are cheered on by millions of followers. Recent divorcees proudly declare on Instagram that they are finally healing from their "narcissistic" ex-partner, even though you get the sense they can't actually define that word. Teenage "mental health advocates" lament the struggles of living with autism, but then subtly add that their condition is "self-diagnosed." It is time for a professional to call out the misinformation and absurdity.Psychobabble is a must-read book for anyone who values mental health and cares about others.
$28.99
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Little Alleluias: Collected Poetry and Prose
An archival compendium of three complete works by Mary Oliver: the book-length poem The Leaf and the Cloud, the collection What Do We Know, and essays from Long Life--with a foreword by fellow Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Postcolonial Love Poem Natalie Diaz. For the many admirers of Mary Oliver's breathtaking poetry of touch and transcendence, as well as for those coming to her words for the first time, Little Alleluias is a revelation. These works observe, search, pause, astonish, and give thanks to both love and the natural world. In constant conversation with the sublime, (i.e. "Are you afraid? / Somewhere a thousand swans are flying / through winter's worst storm."), Oliver has the rare skill of rendering life: her poems and essays bring movement to stillness, and people to the Earth, themselves, and each other. Page by page, she invites us to walk through her minutes, her moments, and revere the light and dark and rainbowed clothes of world alongside her. With three distinct books collected in one volume for the first time, Little Alleluias asks what passes and what persists, and offers readers the peace that every mind deserves. "Hers is a purposeful language, one that looks not just with attention but with sensual intention, and though awestruck, seeks to hold, even briefly, the unknowns of the energies that make any life. Little alleluias, she called her writings. Not meant to define but to praise, to rejoice in the maker and what has been made, to dare be heard as a whisper or a shout in this immense world."--Natalie Diaz, in her Foreword
$23.99
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McNamara at War: A New History
Robert S. McNamara was widely considered to be one of the most brilliant men of his generation. He was an invaluable ally of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson as U.S. secretary of defense, and he had a deeply moving relationship with Jackie Kennedy. But to the country, McNamara was the leading advocate for American escalation in Vietnam. He strongly advised Johnson to deploy hundreds of thousands of American ground troops, just weeks before concluding that the war was unwinnable, and for the next two and a half years, McNamara failed to urge Johnson to cut his losses and withdraw. McNamara at War examines McNamara's life of intense personal contradictions, following his childhood, his career as a young faculty member at Harvard Business School, and his World War II service, to his leadership of the Ford Motor Company and the World Bank. Philip and William Taubman had access to materials previously unavailable to McNamara biographers, including Jacqueline Kennedy's warm letters to McNamara during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and beyond; family correspondence dating back to McNamara's service in World War II; and a secret diary maintained by McNamara's top Vietnam policy aide. What emerges is the comprehensive story of the infamous former leader of the Pentagon: riven by melancholy, guilt, zealous loyalty, and a profound inability to admit his flawed thinking about Vietnam before it was too late. McNamara at War is a portrait of a man at war with himself--with a grave influence on the history of the United States and the world.
$39.99
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Living in the Present with John Prine
In the spring of 2018, Tom Piazza climbed into a 1977 Coupe de Ville with the great singer-songwriter John Prine to write an article for the Oxford American. Their Florida road trip ignited a deep friendship, full of tall tales over epic meals, long nights playing guitar and trading songs, and visits back and forth between their homes in Nashville and New Orleans. Along the way, Prine invited Piazza to work with him on a memoir, with John telling sprawling, often hilarious stories of his youth and family in Chicago and Kentucky, his breakthrough into the national spotlight, his riotous early years in the Nashville country scene, and much more. When Prine died suddenly of COVID in April 2020, that unfinished memoir evolved into an intimate and very personal narrative of the artist's final years. In it, Piazza offers fans an unforgettable portrait of the beloved musician in his late glory--as a boyish cut-up, an epic raconteur, a great American poet, and, most important, a beloved friend.
$27.99
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Night People: How to Be a DJ in '90s New York City
Capturing the music, characters, escapades, and energy of his DJ days, a profound memoir from seven-time Grammy-winning record producer Mark Ronson. Lady Gaga, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, the Barbie soundtrack--behind some of the biggest musical moments in the past two decades is one man: Mark Ronson. Night People conjures the undeniable magic of the city's bygone nightlife--a time when clubs were diverse, glamorous, and a little lawless, and each night brought a heady mix of music, ambition, danger, delight, and possibility. It's about the beauty of what you can create with just two Technics and a mixer, in a golden era before Giuliani, camera phones, and bottle service upended everything. It's also about a teenager finding his way--stalking DJ Stretch Armstrong and biting his mixes, crate-digging in every corner of New York, grinding gig after gig through a decade of incredible music--and finding a community of people who, in their own strange, cracked ways, lived for the night. Organized around the venues that defined his experience of the downtown scene, Ronson evokes the specific rush of that decade and those spaces--where fashion folks and rappers on the rise danced alongside club kids and 9-to-5'ers--and invites us into the tribe of creatives and partiers who came alive when the sun went down. A heartfelt coming-of-age tale, Night People is the definitive account of '90s New York nightlife and the making of a musical mastermind.
$29.00
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Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution
From Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a glimpse of her journey to the Court and an account of her approach to the Constitution Since her confirmation hearing, Americans have peppered Justice Amy Coney Barrett with questions. How has she adjusted to the Court? What is it like to be a Supreme Court justice with school-age children? Do the justices get along? What does her normal day look like? How does the Court get its cases? How does it decide them? How does she decide? In Listening to the Law, Justice Barrett answers these questions and more. She lays out her role (and daily life) as a justice, touching on everything from her deliberation process to dealing with media scrutiny. With the warmth and clarity that made her a popular law professor, she brings to life the making of the Constitution and explains her approach to interpreting its text. Whether sharing stories of clerking for Justice Scalia or walking readers through prominent cases, she invites readers to wrestle with originalism and to embrace the rich heritage of our Constitution.
$32.00
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Sally's Baking 101: Foolproof Recipes from Easy to Advanced
The ultimate baking book for home cooks of all skill levels with 101 sweet and savory, foolproof recipes plus helpful tips for best results--from the creator of the beloved website Sally's Baking Addiction. "Sally has a gift for creating recipes that bakers trust and that families and friends crave. There's so much to learn and so much to love here."--New York Times bestselling author Dorie Greenspan For years, Sally's Baking Addiction has been the trusted online resource for anyone who wants to make delicious baked goods from scratch. An expert self-taught baker, Sally McKenney has been dedicated to developing and perfecting a wide range of baking recipes and her devoted audience trusts her implicitly. In this collection of 101 irresistible recipes, she presents an array of crowd-pleasing bakes to suit every occasion and craving, from cookies and bars to cakes, pies, breads, and brunch fare. Sprinkled throughout the book, you'll find a selection of her most treasured fan favorites, including Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Strawberry Cake, Homemade Pizza Dough, and Classic Apple Pie. Sally shares everything you need to know to be a successful home baker including basic baking principles, tools and ingredients, detailed how-to's, and step-by-step photos. She also offers her best tips and tricks, such as how to brown butter, prepare your baking pans, freeze baked goods, test for doneness, and so much more. Simpler recipes are included if your time is limited or you're just beginning your baking journey, like Chewy Banana Walnut Cookies, Thick & Fudgy Brownies, Lemon Lavender Olive Oil Cake, and the Ultimate Fruit Crisp. Advanced bakers will be excited to try Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Danishes, Tiramisu Cake Roll, Sky-High Chocolate Mousse Pie, and Asparagus & Smoked Salmon Tart. Many of the recipes are somewhere in between, including Buttermilk Chive Fantail Rolls, Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies, Caramel Sheet Cake, and Butternut Squash & Sage Chicken Pot Pie. With Sally's Baking 101 as your guide, you'll gain the knowledge you need to feel confident baking from scratch with tempting, reliable recipes guaranteed to delight family and friends.
$32.99
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Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories
After making his debut in 1997's The Killing Floor, Jack Reacher has quickly become one of the most popular--and most enduring--fictional heroes to emerge in the past half century. Now, his creator tells the stories behind the stories. These are the origin tales of all of the Reacher novels written solely by Lee Child, chock full of colorful anecdotes and intriguing inspirations. One by one, they expand upon each novel and place it in the context not only of the author's life, but of the world outside the books. And taken together, they chart the rise of an action icon, from 1999's The Killing Floor to 2019's Blue Moon. An afterword by crime fiction expert and bookseller Otto Penzler considers the importance of the character and novels in the canon of contemporary crime fiction. In addition to the essays, this collection also includes an original Reacher short story--the first new Reacher appearance entirely written by Lee Child since 2019. Entertaining and enlightening, Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories is a must-read for fans of the Jack Reacher series and a capstone to any collection of this excellent author.
$26.95
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Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy
The body is the most complex machine in the world, and the only one for which you cannot get a replacement part from the manufacturer. For centuries, medicine has reached for what's available--sculpting noses from brass, borrowing skin from frogs and hearts from pigs, crafting eye parts from jet canopies and breasts from petroleum by-products. Today we're attempting to grow body parts from scratch using stem cells and 3D printers. How are we doing? Are we there yet?In Replaceable You, Mary Roach explores the remarkable advances and difficult questions prompted by the human body's failings. When and how does a person decide they'd be better off with a prosthetic than their existing limb? Can a donated heart be made to beat forever? Can an intestine provide a workable substitute for a vagina?Roach dives in with her characteristic verve and infectious wit. Her travels take her to the OR at a legendary burn unit in Boston, a "superclean" xeno-pigsty in China, and a stem cell "hair nursery" in the San Diego tech hub. She talks with researchers and surgeons, amputees and ostomates, printers of kidneys and designers of wearable organs. She spends time in a working iron lung from the 1950s, stays up all night with recovery techs as they disassemble and reassemble a tissue donor, and travels across Mongolia with the cataract surgeons of Orbis International.Irrepressible and accessible, Replaceable You immerses readers in the wondrous, improbable, and surreal quest to build a new you.
$28.99
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How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women
"Terrifying, fascinating, and important." --Sara Sheridan, author of Where Are the Women? and The Fair BotanistsNothing brings people together like a common enemy, and witches were the greatest enemy of all.Scotland, 1563: Crops failed. People starved. And the Devil's influence was stronger than ever--at least, that's what everyone believed. If you were a woman living in Scotland during this turbulent time, there was a very good chance that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch.During the chaos of the Reformation, violence against women was codified for the first time in the Witchcraft Act--a tool of theocratic control with one chilling goal: to root out witches and rid the land of evil. What followed was a dark and misogynistic chapter in history that fanned the flames of witch hunts across the globe, including in the United States and beyond.In How to Kill a Witch, Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell, hosts of the popular Witches of Scotland podcast, unravel the grim yet absurdly bureaucratic process of identifying, accusing, trying, and executing women as witches. With sharp wit and keen feminist insight, they reveal the inner workings of a patriarchal system designed to weaponize fear and oppress women.This captivating (and often infuriating) account, which weaves a rich tapestry of trial transcripts, witness accounts, and the documents that set the legal grounds for the witch hunts, exposes how this violent period of history mirrors today's struggles for justice and equality. How to Kill a Witch is a powerful, darkly humorous reminder of the dangers of superstition, bias, and ignorance, and a warning to never forget the past... while raising the question of whether it could ever happen again.
$27.99
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