"It was a great love story, one for the ages. The speed of our beginning and the speed of our ending felt like matching bookends. They both came out of nowhere. He wanted it, he wanted me. And then he didn't. In March 2020, Belle Burden was safe and secure with her family at their house on Martha's Vineyard, navigating the early days of the pandemic together--building fires in the late afternoons, drinking whiskey sours, making roast chicken. Then, with no warning or explanation, her husband of twenty years announced that he was leaving her. Overnight, her caring, steady partner became a man she hardly recognized. He exited his life with her like an actor shrugging off a costume. In Strangers, Burden revisits her marriage, searching for clues that her husband was not who she always thought he was. As she examines her relationship through a new lens, she reckons with her own family history and the lessons she intuited about how a woman is expected to behave in the face of betrayal. Through all of it, she is transformed. The discreet, compliant woman she once was--someone nicknamed 'Belle the Good'--gives way to someone braver, someone determined to use her voice. With unflinching honesty and profound grace, Burden charts a path through heartbreak to show the power of a woman who refuses to give up on love. Strangers is a stunning, deeply moving, compulsively readable memoir heralding the arrival of a thrilling new literary talent." --

"From educator and TikTok phenom Laura Danger, an insightful and practical guide that will teach you how to recognize unproductive dynamics at home, transform your relationships, find your community--and break free from a life of mediocrity. Ever had the feeling your spouse is totally capable of doing that simple household task? Ever felt so burned out you want to hide in the bathroom while your house devolves into chaos? All of us are running a race against a culture telling us we need to be more, to hustle more, and that we should be doing it all ourselves. It's a cycle that needs to be broken, and in this book, Danger, an experienced educator, facilitator, and domestic equity advocate, sets out on a path of unpacking the inequity and rage in the erasure of domestic labor and care to guide readers to a healthier and more balanced life. Organized in seven chapters covering topics like harmful stereotypes and communication models, from the nag paradox to weaponized incompetence, No More Mediocre asks why we make light of deeply problematic dynamics and who wins when we buy into them. Drawing from case studies, including non-traditional, intentionally developed family structures, and her own experience with mental illness and the demands of work and family life, Danger provides communication models and actionable steps you can take to restructure your household and better thrive at home and with partners in a chaotic world. A battle cry for better, Laura Danger shows that there are countless practical ways to maintain bonds, beat back against the status quo, and to meet our own and one another's needs, because we all deserve more than mediocre"-- Provided by publisher.

"Beyond Infidelity" is first book that helps people transform the experience of infidelity into a catalyst for unparalleled personal growth, from the popular online therapist, Lauren LaRusso, who has helped thousands do the same. Cheating is a topic she knows all too well, as both a professional who helps clients grappling with the realization of a partner's affair AND as a wife whose own marriage ended due to infidelity. Desperate for answers, LaRusso set to work learning every last thing she could about rebuilding her life and helping others do the same. Shocked by cheating's prevalence, she wondered: if millions of people are having affairs, why aren't we openly speaking about it? Why is the topic still so taboo? And most importantly: why isn't anyone talking honestly about how the partners left behind can rebuild their lives and reclaim themselves in the wake of it? Most books on infidelity either focus on reconciliation OR they normalize cheating as a mere "warning sign" in a relationship. LaRusso is here to assure you that you can still find hope and even happiness on the other side of infidelity. In fact, great beauty and personal transformation awaits, if you know how to find it. In Beyond Infidelity, LaRusso writes the book she wishes had existed when she was suffering in silence. With an interactive seven-step guide-taking readers from understanding what you're going through, to stabilizing yourself and curating your world, to breaking free and becoming whole-Beyond Infidelity meets readers where they are in their moment of crisis. With writing that is strikingly intimate, compassionate, and free of judgment, LaRusso's work flips the script on infidelity. Being cheated on, she explains, is not your fault. Even if your marriage ends, this moment can actually be an opportunity for lasting self-growth and healing. (Really!) This, LaRusso argues, is the true gift of infidelity-moving beyond betrayal and rising from the ashes of your relationship stronger than ever.

On the 250th anniversary of American independence, with the history of our founding a political battleground, this study of the ideas and battlefield sacrifices of 1776 by a Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar could not be more timely.

A humorous, affirming nonfiction book addressing the physical, emotional, and social realities of perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Using candid anecdotes and irreverent humor, it explores hormonal changes, shifting priorities, and self-acceptance, encouraging readers to let go of societal expectations and embrace this life stage with honesty and solidarity.

Mattering examines the concept of “mattering,” defined as the perception of being valued and having opportunities to contribute, and its relationship to individual and social well-being. Drawing on research and personal narratives, Wallace explores how experiences of mattering and not mattering affect people in various contexts, including work, caregiving, grief, and life transitions. The book introduces the idea of a “mattering core,” consisting of recognizing one’s impact, being relied upon in balanced ways, feeling prioritized, and being known and invested in by others. Wallace discusses strategies for strengthening this core and considers how individuals, organizations, and communities can foster environments that support a sense of mattering and purpose.

Step into the extraordinary world of Marion Hayden, Detroit’s “Queen of the Bass” and 2025 Kresge Eminent Artist. This captivating monograph celebrates a musical journey spanning five decades, from a young girl discovering jazz in her father’s record collection to becoming one of Detroit’s most revered jazz musicians. Through intimate interviews, stunning photography, and heartfelt tributes from fellow artists, discover how Hayden has masterfully balanced artistic excellence with deep community commitment. As the first female musician and third jazz artist to receive this prestigious honor, Hayden embodies Detroit’s rich jazz heritage while continually nurturing its future.

"Roger Dooley wasn't looking for the San José. But an accidental discovery in the dusty stacks of a Spanish archive led him to the story of a lifetime: the tale of a great eighteenth-century treasure ship loaded with riches from the New World and destined for Spain. But that ship, the galleon San José, met a darker fate. It was drawn into a pitched battle with British ships of war off the coast of Cartagena, and when the smoke cleared, the San José and its bounty had disappeared into the ocean, its coordinates lost to time. Though a diver at heart, Dooley was an unlikely candidate to find the [ship]. He had little in the way of serious credentials, yet his tenacity and single-minded devotion to finding and excavating the ship powered him across four decades, even as he became a man in exile from the country of his birth. As Dooley jousted with famous treasure hunters and well-funded competitors, he slowly homed in on a patch of sea that might contain a three-hundred-year-old shipwreck--or nothing at all."--

In this powerful memoir of survival and healing, Elizabeth Smart empowers readers to navigate life’s detours, embrace resilience, and find healing and purpose after adversity. In Detours, Elizabeth Smart explores how trauma can derail one’s path in life and shares her struggles with captivity, reintegration, and resilience. Using the metaphor of life as a road, Smart introduces four key “Rest Stops” for navigating life’s detours—grieving lost paths, embracing change, seeking connections, and redefining destinations. Through themes of hope, community, and self-discovery, she inspires readers to find strength in their own journeys toward healing.

"An impassioned-and data-driven-case for a four-day workweek. The five-day workweek is a pillar of modern life, but it isn't backed by science, ancient wisdom, or divine decree. It's simply a relic of the industrial age-and it's time for an upgrade. What if we could be more productive while working fewer days? Just a few years ago, a shortened workweek seemed like a radical idea. Today, it's a serious strategy being embraced by forward-thinking business leaders, progressive politicians, and a new generation of workers demanding more-meaningful productivity. In Do More in Four, Joe O'Connor-a pioneer in designing and leading four-day-workweek pilots around the globe-and journalist Jared Lindzon, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and TIME magazine, present a groundbreaking, data-driven exploration of why a four-day workweek isn't merely possible-it's necessary in the modern business context. Drawing on extensive research and compelling case studies, O'Connor and Lindzon take readers inside the organizations that have transformed their work models, improving employee retention, boosting engagement, and driving revenue growth. Do More in Four is a blueprint for a smarter, more humane approach to work"-- Provided by publisher.

"Our debates about immigration revolve around what happens with immigrants once they arrive. [The author believes that] we need to start talking about who is sending them and why. For decades, establishment elites sold us the story of immigration as a compassionate renewal of the American Dream within a harmonious melting pot. But beneath that narrative lies a different reality: mass migration has morphed into the most powerful political weapon ever aimed at the UnitedStates--one engineered by elites at home and aided by adversaries abroad"--

Every day brings a torrent of articles, videos, and podcasts about health and longevity. The "Wellness Industrial Complex" offers conflicting advice and promises us more time to enjoy in the future but it sure is demanding a lot of time right now. In Eat Your Ice Cream, renowned health expert Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel argues that life is not a competition to live the longest, and that "wellness" shouldn't be difficult; it should be an invisible part of one's lifestyle that yields maximum health benefits with the least work. Dr. Emanuel cuts through the noise with wit and good humor, giving readers just what they need: simple, high-impact, evidence-based guidelines to issues such as food and drink, exercise, sleep, mental acuity, and social engagement. Pairing common sense with uncommon wisdom based on his decades of expertise and experience, Dr. Emanuel helps readers decide which lifestyle changes are worth making and how to best implement them. --

"In this philosophical exploration, Peter Kreeft argues that The Lord of the Rings and The Brothers Karamazov are not just two of the greatest novels but simply the greatest two--and not primarily because of their distinct plots, characters, settings, and styles, but because of the metaphysical, anthropological, and moral themes that unite them. Examining the writers' treatments of good and evil, power and weakness, and virtue and vice, Kreeft shows how both Tolkien and Dostoevsky, by writing with the mind of Christ, reveal the deepest truths of reality"--Flap page 1 of cover.

The definitive true “Southern Gothic” account of the life, crimes, conviction, and execution of Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins, the charismatic, brutal, well-liked, remorseless South Carolina serial killer who was dubbed the Charles Manson of the South—written by the prosecutor who brought him to justice. Of the hundreds of murder cases that noted South Carolina attorney Dick Harpootlian has prosecuted, one in particular haunts him. Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins was a serial killer and rapist, a master manipulator who claimed to have killed over 100 people and is known to have murdered over a dozen, including a toddler, and his own teenage niece. Yet it was on Death Row that he pulled off his most audacious murder—killing another inmate with a military grade explosive. As personable as he was ruthless, Pee Wee defied easy categories. He killed to avenge minor slights as well as for pleasure, using any convenient method—including stabbing, shooting, poison, suffocation, and drowning. Evidence suggested he forced at least one victim to dig his own grave, stand in it, and be shot. With escalating callousness, Pee Wee murdered acquaintances, friends, family members, and strangers. Yet within his North Charleston community he was well-liked—a family man who took neighborhood kids to the beach and hosted cookouts. Ice-cold within but outwardly charming, he joked with judges, reporters, and Harpootlian himself, but didn’t hesitate to hatch a plot to kidnap the prosecutor’s daughter in order to extort an escape. Dig Me a Grave is a haunting look at a prolific, remorseless killer, as well as a provocative exploration of justice and the death penalty.

"The Straits of Mackinac have been a tourist destination for more than 150 years. The story of how tourism developed on Mackinac Island and in the adjacent communities of St. Ignace and Mackinaw City is narrated in this book, with stories from the people who helped shape it. This work explores the factors that shaped this region into the tourist destination that it is today. It includes historical context of how conflicting ideas developed a seasonal tourist industry and examines how tourism at the Straits of Mackinac developed within regional and national contexts as the tourist industry boomed in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This volume also shows how the people at the Straits responded to various national trends, such as when the automobile transformed the tourist experience and when independently published travel literature painted a critical picture of the region"-- Provided by publisher.

"Dr. Will Bulsiewicz's patients seek him out first and foremost because he's a gastroenterologist. But more and more, he hears that in addition to their constipation or IBS, patients are also suffering from allergies, depression, thyroid problems, and more. What many don't realize is that the gut is the gateway for both health and illness. So, if you have issues with your gut, chances are you may have issues with chronic illness. In Plant Powered Plus Dr. Bulsiewicz offers a powerful program for addressing inflammation due to an imbalance in the gut with a combination of plant-forward diets. This book is a solutions-oriented approach to reclaiming a healthful, protective immune system that defends us rather than attacks us. Dr. Bulsiewicz draws the connections between gut issues and a variety of additional diagnoses and symptoms, including autoimmune disease, cardiometabolic disease, hormonal conditions, and more. His nutrition plan will resolve inflammation and reorient your immune system by healing your gut microbiome and gut barrier. Including guidance on creating your ideal immune-balancing diet, Plant Powered Plus will help you harness the power of the gut-immune connection and live a life of boundless health." --

"Junglekeeper is for any reader yearning to be led on an expedition into the wild of life in that strange world on which all life on Earth depends-and in that wild, into discovering the deepest truths of human existence, calling, purpose, connectedness, and hope. When we're tucked away in the safety and comfort of modern living, is there still an adventure available to us? The answer, Paul Rosolie shows, is a resounding "yes." A kid from Brooklyn who obeyed an undeniable sense of calling to the outdoors, Rosolie found himself immersed in the drama of an entirely different world, the Amazon--and joining with indigenous people and organizations across the globe in an existential struggle to protect it from the encroaching threat of industrial society. Readers will meet unimaginably large snakes that Rosolie must wrangle, jaguars pushed out of their territory by deforestation, monkeys whose home is a canopy humans have yet to understand, a near-miraculous Amazonian water system, and previously uncontacted indigenous people struggling to protect their homes from industrialism. While taking readers on this adventure of how he and some of the unlikeliest people on Earth have successfully protected over 80,000 acres of Amazon forest, Rosolie invites readers to reflect on the profound power of saying "yes": yes to one's calling, yes to the sacrifices and dangers and love we can encounter if we just step outside. Rosolie shows that the vitality we long for is found when we discover who we are between dirt and sky, among the creatures out there who are far more mysterious and alive than we can imagine" -- Provided by publisher.

"Michigan's CON-CON 11 highlights the contributions of the eleven female delegates to the 1961-1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention. As the first female delegates to a state of Michigan constitutional convention, these pioneers demonstrated that women were more than capable of helping to revise Michigan's highest law. Their examples encouraged other women to enter politics during a time when few women held state or federal public office. Following the women's Con-Con journey over seven and a half months, the book offers a general overview of what a state constitutional convention is and what it means to be a delegate. CON-CON 11 both educates the reader on constitution-making and sheds new light on an exciting moment in Michigan political history"--

"Lachi is an award-winning musician and leader who awakens the world to this truth: Disability has long shaped our culture and is an identity worth brazenly celebrating. In this book, Lachi welcomes readers into the vibrant world of Disability Culture, centering identity, innovation, and unapologetic pride. I Identify as Blind pulses with energy. Through magnetic storytelling, pop-culture deep dives, and historical insight, Lachi challenges mainstream views on disability with humor, heart, and high fashion. She reveals how the adaptability of visionaries with disabilities throughout the years have always driven progress. The book features dynamic conversations with trailblazing figures like U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte, Microsoft executive Jenny Lay-Flurrie, and so many more. Lachi even takes readers behind the scenes at Coldplay concerts, since after Chris Martin developed tinnitus, he transformed his concerts into some of the most accessible in the world. Each story reframes disability not as a deficit but as a wellspring of collective strength. And inventions created for people with disabilities benefit everyone-from audiobooks to curb cuts to the Internet. (Vint Cerf helped develop the first commercial email service, because he had trouble communicating by phone.) With punchy humor and radical honesty, Lachi dismantles stereotypes and builds a new narrative of Disability identity. I Identify as Blind is an invitation to a cultural movement-welcoming everyone to celebrate Disability as a source of power and pride. Come for the laughs, stay for the mic drops"-- Provided by publisher.

"As the civil rights movement blazed through America, more than 300,000 Black troops were drafted and sent to fight in the Vietnam War. These soldiers, often from disadvantaged backgrounds and subjected to the brutalities of racism back home, found themselves thrust onto the frontlines of a war many saw as unjust. On the homefront, Black antiwar activists faced another battle: Opposition to the Vietnam War, vilified by key allies in the media and government as anti-American, jeopardized the fight for civil rights. For Black Americans,the Vietnam War forced a generation to question what it truly meantto fight for justice. Award-winning civil rights historian MatthewF. Delmont weaves together the stories of two Black heroes of the Vietnam War era: Coretta Scott King, who bravely championed the antiwar cause--and eventually persuaded her husband to do the same and Dwight "Skip" Johnson, a Medal of Honor recipient whose life ended tragically after returning from battle to his native Detroit. Together, these extraordinary accounts expose the contradictions of Black activism and military service during the Vietnam War. Through rich storytelling, Delmont offers a portrait of this period unlike any other, shedding light on a fractured civil rights movement, a generation of veterans failed by the country they served, and the valor of Black servicemen and peace advocates in the midst of it all."--

"On the morning of January 7, 2025, a message pinged the phone of Jacob Soboroff, a national correspondent for MS NOW. 'Big Palisades fire. We are evacuating,' his brother texted within minutes of the blaze engulfing the hillside behind the home where he and his pregnant wife were living. 'Really bad.' An attached photo showed a huge black plume rising from behind the house, an umbrella of smoke towering over everything they owned. Jacob rushed to the office of the bureau chief. ... Soon he was on the front line of the blaze--his first live report of what would turn out to be weeks covering unimaginable destruction, from both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, in Altadena. In the days to come, Soboroff appeared across the networks of NBC News as Los Angeles was ablaze, met with displaced residents and workers, and pressed Governor Gavin Newsom in an interview on Meet the Press. But no story Soboroff has covered at home or abroad--the trauma of family separation at the border, the displacement of the war in Ukraine, the collapse of order in Haiti--could have prepared him for reporting live as the hallmarks of his childhood were engulfed in flames around him while his hometown burned to the ground"--

"In this ... guide to spiritual and personal wellness, Deepak Chopra unveils profound discoveries on how we can connect with our trueself and construct a life free from fear. Building on decades of spiritual teachings, Chopra illustrates through enlightening sutras how to move from a state of simply surviving to leading an awakened life that unlocks the dormant potential within each of us. He also offers a Wellbeing Index by which we can track our progress on this journey towards awakening, helping increase intuition, access to insight, and a growing sense of ourselves as constantly changing beings which are part of a larger whole. Awakening offers the power to free you from the limitations of ego into a life marked by inner and outerpeace, purpose, and boundless possibility. Featuring mental exercises, meditations, and personal stories from his own spiritual journey, Chopra shakes us from the ightmare of a limited self, where worry and anxiety reign." --

""But I'm bored." Parents constantly hear these three dreaded words from their kids, and it's no secret why-our kids don't know how to play by themselves anymore and make their own fun. Busy schedules, on-demand screens, and safety concerns have transformed the landscape of play for children today, and parents have been unfairly expected to fill in the gap. We love our kids, but we don't need to play with them 24/7 to be a good parent! Independent play is Lizzie Assa's specialty, and she has become the go-to expert on the topic to the 200K parents who follow her on Instagram and the 20K newsletter subscribers who get her weekly updates and ideas. The key, she argues, is to prioritize independent, unstructured play. The result: kids can develop their imagination...and parents can enjoy some precious, much-needed time to themselves! In "But I'm Bored!", Assa shows exactly how to strike this balance. Through high-impact, low-effort strategies, parents learn how to create play pockets in their home, choose open-ended toys that spark imagination, set play boundaries (and stick to them), and enforce the wonders of quiet time. Then, when parents do engage in play time with their kid, it doesn't feel like a job-it strengthens their relationship to their child and helps cultivate an overall happier, healthier environment for the whole family. "But I'm Bored!" isn't about doing everything perfectly. It's about freeing your child to be authentically themselves...so you can be the best version of yourself. Because doesn't every child (and parent) deserve that?"--

"A look at the relationship between parent and child anxiety, with actionable strategies to help parents break the cycle-from a clinical psychologist"-- Provided by publisher.