In the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations led by Senator Joseph McCarthy targeted actors, directors, singers, filmmakers, writers, and prominent scientists, accusing them of disloyalty, subversion, and treason against the United States of America. HUAC and McCarthyism ruined careers and lives. But something striking also happened during the hearings: the poems, plays, novels, and song lyrics cited in the witness testimony spoke back, offering uncanny counter-testimonies and remarkable acts of “poetic revenge.” This book is an urgent, probing exploration of the HUAC, its attempts to bowdlerize and contort facts, and the voices that rose out of history to oppose and subsume it. Marjorie Garber shows how writers versed in the literary tropes of revenge appear in the hearings: William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, John Donne, George Herbert, Francis Bellamy, and others. But the agent of revenge is not the author of the work; it is the work itself, with all its cultural power and relevance, spanning years or centuries. In narrating the destructive history of the Red Scare, Garber powerfully illuminates the constructive force of literature in opposing political oppression.

What to make of a life? It is a question we all wrestle with more than once: How do we find our way in the world? How do we make it past the cliffs, significant events that can radically change a life? How do we keep the inner fire burning bright, long and late? Inspired by relentless curiosity, Jim Collins devoted a decade to studying these questions and to minutely analyzing those moments when life flips from clarity to confusion and casts us into a befuddling fog. His exploration follows various lives side-by-side, paired together at cliffs, and analyzes the different choices made and divergent paths taken. Two rock musicians confronting a future without the group that had brought them success. Two public figures tainted by scandal having to make decisions about how to rebuild their lives. Two suffragists achieving their epic goal and so left with the puzzle of what to do next. Two figure skaters seeking new purpose when their Olympic careers come to an end. What emerges from Collins's extensive studies--of writers, actors, scientists, leaders and many others--is a framework for understanding how individual lives can be built, sustained and constantly renewed. By examining the long arc of these remarkable lives, Collins tackles life's questions. What does it take to: Discover a deeply fulfilling role in life--one that you are naturally 'encoded' for--and then to find a second one, if the first one ends? Overcome a major cliff--a fracture point that forces choices about what's next and calls for you to re-envision the years to come? Make your personal economics work so that you can focus on one big thing that feeds your inner fire? Navigate the fog, when you feel uncertain or even outright lost, and build confidence step by step? Build personal momentum decade upon decade, so that your most creative and energetic years are spread across an entire lifetime? Achieve the imperative to "Know Thyself" and apply self-knowledge to each phase of life? And for the first time, Collins movingly chronicles his own story to reveal how undertaking this project transformed him, changing his thinking and reshaping his emotions in fundamental ways. Surprising, story-driven, deeply researched, and uplifting, What to Make of a Life is a book like no other, convincingly showing how a richly fulfilled life is within reach of us all.

"An unconventional, no-bullshit guide to forging a rewarding career that actually maps onto the things you care about in the world-a dream job where "the hustle doesn't feel like hustle"-from a leading venture capitalist, based on his viral college talk"-- Provided by publisher.

"Racial politics in the United States are as tumultuous as ever. A resurgent white nationalism finds broadening support while the Movement for Black Lives marks a newly consolidated and highly visible iteration of the centuries-long Black Freedom struggle. The question of what it would take to get more white people to fight for racial justice is as urgent as ever. Chandra Russo takes up this question in White Flank. White people's participation in antiracist action has always been fraught, with competing narratives about what meaningful allyship looks like, and what one should do with their white privilege. Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) has emerged as the largest national effort explicitly seeking to organize white people. Beyond just book clubs and discussion circles, and against the seductions of virtue signaling, SURJ invites and equips white communities to take part in concrete antiracist action and to organize for lasting change. Using the case of SURJ, this book tells the story of a new generation of white antiracist efforts in a range of local contexts, from Los Angeles to rural Appalachia. White Flank documents the promises and complexities of antiracist organizing. Russo argues that shifting white communities' understanding of antiracism away from a focus on individual morality and towards collective action is a crucial achievement. Growing the white flank of a multiracial justice movement is bound to be messy. Yet our present moment requires that white people join with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the fight for collective liberation" --

"The deep sea is one of our last frontiers. For most of human history, it was a vast, dark, and unknown realm that invoked awe and terror. Now, one thing we do know it is that it is critically important and central to the future of life on this planet. In The Dark Frontier, marine microbiologist and deep sea explorer Jeff Marlow offers a new perspective on the power and beauty of the deep sea. Beginning with the nineteenth century "discovery" that the deep sea was, in fact, teeming with life, to more recent investigations into the microbiology of cold seeps and deep sea vents. Throughout, Marlow explores the ocean's scientific marvels: theories about how life began underwater and how it may hold the key to discovering new life to entire ecosystems that formed around sunk whale carcasses. An engaging narrative journey grounded in Marlow's own research, and vast knowledge of this aquatic underworld, The Dark Frontier's revelations into how life can thrive in even the most remote, unforgiving landscapes expand our understanding of what might be possible elsewhere on earth-and beyond. Marlow reflects, too, on the environmental impact of deep-sea mining. Marlow's work is informed by years of researching the deep sea and hundreds of experts: everyone from deep sea researchers to UN delegates. The Dark Frontier captures the awe and potential of the deep sea-teaching us lessons that bring us into the future-not just for the creatures that live there, but for those of us on the surface as well"-- Provided by publisher.

"From the bestselling, prize-winning author of SAY NOTHING, a powerfully compelling account of a family devastated by the apparent suicide of their nineteen year-old son, only to discover he had created a separate identity which drew him into the dangerous international criminal underworld underlying London's glittering surface. In the early morning of November 29th, 2019, surveillance cameras at the headquarters of MI6, Britain's spy agency, captured a video of a young man pacing back and forth on a balcony of Riverwalk, a luxury building on the opposite bank of the Thames River. At 2:24 a.m., he jumped. In a quiet London neighborhood several miles away, Rachelle Brettler was worried. She hadn't heard from her son Zac, who told her he had gone to stay with a friend for the night, but wasn't answering his phone. Five days later, a police car pulled up in front of the house, and she knew she was about to hear the news every parent dreads: Her son was dead. In their unbearable grief, Rachelle and her husband Matthew tried to understand what had happened to Zac. He had his troubles, but in no way seemed suicidal. But his death was just the beginning of the shocks: The man who owned the apartment in Riverwalk, a wealthy businessman named Akbar Shamji, told them he knew Zac by a different identity: Zac Ismailov, the child of a wealthy Russian oligarch, whose widowed mother was living in Dubai and freezing him out of his inheritance. Then they learned that the apartment was occupied by a notorious gangster known as "Indian Dave" in London criminal circles. Indian Dave had been implicated in a gangland slaying and fled the country, but for opaque reasons came back to England and was never prosecuted. From the physical evidence and recovered text messages between Shamji and Sharma, it appeared something very different than a suicide had taken place in Riverwalk that night. But to the immense frustration of the Brettlers, Scotland Yard seemed to have no interest in investigating. In a bravura piece of reporting and writing, Patrick Radden Keefe delves into a story that peels back multiple layers of mystery, and exposes the seedy truths beneath the glamourous London of posh mansions and private night clubs, a world sustained and abetted by fundamental corruption. Zac Brettler was not the only person in the tale spinning lies. London Falling is a mesmerizing investigation of an inexplicable death, fueled by multiple turns and revelations, but at its heart it is a deeply empathetic portrait of a family trying to understand not just why their son died, but who he was"-- Provided by publisher.

"One night when Kate Crane was twelve, her father called to say he was on his way home from his trucking business. He never showed up. Kate and her family were left stunned, with no explanation or resolution on the horizon. Twenty years later, now a journalist in New York City, Kate reopens the investigation with Baltimore's Cold Case Unit, tracks down the retired detectives who'd worked Eddy's case, and chases leads with old friends through her hometown's dark alleys. Maybe she can find some answers--or at least a little solace. Part memoir, part true crime, part psychological suspense, What Ever Happened to Eddy Crane? is a brilliantly written, emotionally resonant story of searing loss and resilience, of Baltimore, of family ghosts, and the bravery required to confront the past."--Amazon.

Autism is not simply a difference in thinking--it is an embodied experience shaped by heightened sensory awareness, nervous system sensitivity, and perceptual intensity. For many autistic adults, this can lead to sensory overwhelm, shutdowns, difficulty with social expectations, and challenges navigating a world designed for neurotypical minds. In this groundbreaking guide, autistic psychologist Sarah Bergenfield offers a new way of understanding autism as a condition of sensory surplus, supported by both personal insight and emerging scientific research. Psychotherapist Martha Sweezy joins Bergenfield in adapting internal family systems (IFS) therapy alongside principles from neuroscience and polyvagal theory to help autistic readers better understand their internal experiences and nervous system responses. Through compassionate guidance and evidence-informed tools, this book helps you make sense of sensory disorganization, social expectations, and internal conflict--so you can navigate the world with greater confidence and self-trust. Rather than viewing autism as a deficit, this empowering guide reframes it as perceptual diversity, helping you move beyond stigma, shame, and marginalization toward a life of authenticity, resilience, and flourishing. --

"An expansive policy blueprint for meaningfully expanding the middle class for the first time in a century, the US middle class was a product of state and federal policies, enacted in the wake of the Great Depression. But since the 1980s, lawmakers have undermined what they once built, shredding the social safety net and instituting laws that virtually guarantee downward mobility for all but the most privileged. How can we restore what has been lost? Rigorous and highly readable, The Middle-Class New Deal breaks down the policies that have decimated working families and proposes reforms to reverse this trend. As Mechele Dickerson shows, part of the problem is that politicians disingenuously conflate the middle class with the 'White lower rich.' Such propaganda hides how state and federal lawmakers consistently favor education, labor, housing, and consumer-credit laws that erode the bank accounts of lower- and middle-income people--especially those who are not White and don't have college degrees. Weaving together the latest research with the personal stories of Americans struggling to make ends meet, Dickerson provides a clarion call for political leaders to enact a bold agenda like the one that created the middle class almost a century ago"--

"The New York City subway system stretches over 800 miles and carries millions of riders every day. While many have written about this legendary public transit system, a century of published books says little about the subway as a workplace. Older books describe railroad lines and equipment and newer ones transit unions and building projects. None of this subway literature, however, portrays the motormen operating the trains and the porters cleaning over 400 stations. Railroaded describes these jobs, which the author, Fred Naiden, an award-winning Harvard-trained historian, held in the 1980s before beginning a successful second career in academia. His academic training enabled him to make comparisons between transit work today and in the past, beginning with horsecars and elevated trains. Naiden's colorful and at times dangerous tenure as a subway station cleaner, a motorman, and a locomotive engineer--including his work as a union shop steward--all serve as a backdrop to his deep involvement in the NYC labor movement, including his life in a tenement in what was then a blue-collar neighborhood. Railroaded will appeal to both urban historians and to a general public interested in the fate of one of the biggest pieces of declining infrastructure in the United States. It will also appeal to labor historians and to readers of memoirs by American workers. This is the story of Naiden's tenure as NYCTA employee #4046"-- Provided by publisher.

"From the award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of Cod and Salt, To Catch a Fish is an entertaining and beautifully written illustrated collection of essays that explore a lifetime fascination with fishing. Guiding readers through the waters and into the mind of the fish, Kurlansky considers who fish are and why they behave the way they do, and along the way delves into the many approaches to catching a fish, their ecology, and the ins and outs of cooking and eating your catch"--

Money Values explores how our relationship with money impacts our lives from our daily schedule to our interpersonal relationships with friends and family and even our connection to the larger world -- and how, by transforming the way we think about money, we can live with more wellbeing for ourselves and others. By combining insights from psychology, personal finance, and social policy, Maarit Lassander provides a fresh and holistic approach to understanding and reconfiguring our approach to money in the context of global challenges. Through this comprehensive book, readers will gain access to a wealth of practical strategies and exercises for aligning their money and roles with their values, cultivating financial and emotional resilience, and finding purpose in their personal and professional lives, including: How early experiences with money during childhood affect our spending later in life, and how to talk to partners and children honestly about money; The neuroscience surrounding habit formation and financial behaviors; The worth of challenging traditional conceptions of success to embrace a more balanced view of progress; How to build financial and emotional resilience in times of global change and uncertainty; Tools to manage financial stress and emotions and how to incorporate mindfulness in financial decision-making; and how to use financial capital to affect positive change in your community and on Earth Featuring inspiring case studies from diverse cultures and contexts, from a space physicist living with his family in arctic Svalbard, to a world traveler who teaches social anthropology in New Zealand, to the global network of investors using capital to fund solutions to climate change, and especially stories of ordinary people juggling everyday responsibilities on a fixed income, Money Values will show readers how to use their financial resources in an authentic way and empower them to contribute to a more just and sustainable world. --

Hello, and welcome to Planet Money! Millions of listeners trust the world's leading economics podcast to explain the mysterious inner workings of the global economy and the forces that affect nearly every decision we make. Through expert research and delightful stories the Planet Money hosts help everyone see the world like an economist. For their first-ever book, longtime contributor Alex Mayyasi and the hosts of NPR's Planet Money present brand new stories and insights gathered from more than a decade of reporting that reveal ways AI might help you or replace you, demystify dating markets, and show how pro sports' "dumbest" contract holds the secret to building wealth. Taking readers on adventures to a smartphone factory in Patagonia, a raisin cartel in California, and an Indigenous reserve in Canada that might just have a solution for the housing crisis, Planet Money shows how economics shapes our world, and how we can harness key principles to make our own lives a little richer.

"Essential, empowering medical information and advice to help you prepare for your Labor and Delivery journey--from a leading OB--GYN and social media educator"--

For the last decade, as she's spent countless hours in doctor's waiting rooms searching for diagnoses, treatments, and relief, being the owner and operator of Lena Dunham's body has felt, as she puts it, "like towing a wrecked car across town at midnight." It's not easy dragging a wrecked car anywhere, much less to the Met Gala while sewn into a gold lamé corset. Or to the set of the hit show that you -- as a twenty-five-year-old -- are writing, directing, producing, and starring in. Or to the White House, the Golden Globes, or your publicist's office to discuss the latest internet disaster. But Dunham does it -- even if it means interminable hospital stays, vomiting in the bathroom when she's meant to be meeting Oprah, or terrifying those closest to her -- because she can no longer tell the difference between fighting to do what she loves and being a servant to her own ambition. All the while, she is holding out for a love that can withstand her personal and public challenges and, more than anything, yearning to feel like herself again -- if only she could remember who that self was. As Dunham takes us through her journey, tracking her rise to fame -- from selling the pilot of Girls to the present -- in three acts, it becomes clear that the spotlight casts long shadows, distorting the relationships she once held dear and isolating everyone in its glare. When an endless supply of drugs can't protect you from pain -- and begins to control your every move -- being famous doesn't stand a chance against the darker corners of the human experience. In Famesick, Dunham asks herself what the cost of fulfilling her dreams has really been, and whether it was worth it. What she finds is deeper than physical relief, and more lasting, as she learns to live with what she can't change and turn her regrets into wisdom that can carry her forward, as she reconnects to what, and who, she loves.

From the world-renowned geobiologist and bestselling author of A Brief History of Earth, the epic story of a planetary conversation four billion years in the making.

Actress, designer, and entrepreneur Jennie Garth opens up about pursuing happiness, aging with confidence, and learning to love and prioritize yourself.

"Are the dust bunnies and clutter in your house getting out of control? Do you put off cleaning your shower curtain or organizing your closet until you can't ignore the mess anymore? Imagine turning these mundane chores into moments of magic, where sweeping the floor or folding laundry becomes an act of spiritual connection and enchantment. But how do we bridge the gap between the ordinary and the extraordinary? That's where Mundane Magic comes in, to help you focus on the intention behind your actions and tap into everyday magic with simple rituals and mindful moments, like whipping together a coffee spell for abundance or clearing out the stagnant energy under your bed. Initially a skeptic herself, Molly Donlan's journey took an unexpected turn when chronic hip pain led her to Reiki and the intersection of science and spirituality. She's been where you are, overwhelmed by the weight of daily stress and household chores, but by injecting boring tasks with a sense of novelty and fun, she found magic practices that worked for her and her ADHD brain, rather than against it. Organized by rooms around the house and divided by the level of difficulty, Mundane Magic shares fun and actionable tips, exercises, spells, and rituals to create micro-moments of magic and motivation. You can organize your chores around the moon cycles to optimize cleansing and creativity, whip up an easy simmer pot for the motivation to tackle that pile of dirty dishes, or turn a minty shampoo into a spell for mental clarity. Mundane Magic offers a fun approach and empathetic support for productivity around the house and reclaiming joy and creativity in the process"-- Provided by publisher.

"Parenting is hard. Parenting a strong-willed child is something else entirely. Author, coach, and fellow mom to a Spicy One offers you grace in your parenting journey while helping you develop calm, connection-based habits that don't diminish your child's light and will transform both your relationship with your larger-than-life kid and yourself"-- Provided by publisher.

"Web 'About this Book' headline The author of Cook Real Hawai'i brings the essence of Hawai'i cuisine to everyday cooking with unfussy and flavorful recipes featuring easy ingredient substitutions, clever new techniques, and creative (and often plant-based) spins on traditional dishes. Beloved chef and two-time Top Chef fan favorite Sheldon Simeon's food joyfully reflects Hawai'i's flavors and cooking styles, a mixture of island influences including Native Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and other cuisines. In Ohana Style you'll find umami-packed recipes meant for family-that's what ohana means in Hawaiian-weeknight dinners, quick lunches, snacks, cookouts, and barbecues. From Tocino Bacon with Garlic Rice for breakfast and Stir-Fried Olives with Ginger and Shoyu as a midday snack, to a Pan-Fried Lemon-Caper Mahi Mahi dinner with Pickled Mango Granita for dessert, Ohana Style has recipes for every mood and any event-it's a book for people who want to get something flavorful and delicious on the table quickly without forgoing the exciting and layered flavors of local Hawaiian cooking"-- Provided by publisher.

"Over the past decade, Camonghne Felix has been at the center of American politics, working in strategy, communications, and as a speechwriter. Throughout it all, she has maintained her unwavering belief in language's foundational revolutionary potential, outside of its deployment for legislative and political ends. In this groundbreaking work of nonfiction, she argues that Black radical poetic traditions can model a new ethical code and overcome entrenched structures of patriarchy and paternalism, inventing a new form that examines the historical and legislative, and the personal and poetic. Felix draws on stories from her life in campaigns and the decisions she has had to make: preparing speeches for candidates, responding to harassment, recruiting staff. She recounts her moving personal history--accompanying her mother, a lawyer, to court, and her father, a participant in the Grenadian revolution of 1983, to protests--as well as her coming-of-age being schooled in a wider tradition of Black radical thinkers, from Gwendolyn Brooks to Audre Lorde. Let the Poets Govern encourages us to hold ourselves to the standards of our highest ideals and embraces our shared humanity"--

"Reza Farahan came to America at the age of four on vacation with his family. While soaking up the California sun, the revolution in Iran began, and Reza's family would stay on their vacation indefinitely, never able to return home again. Reza had revered the Shah in Iran, a man whom he saw as the embodiment of progressive ideals, opulence, and ambition. And watching from afar in America, Reza was horrified to see the Shah overthrown by the Ayatollah. The world he had always known would no longer exist, and now he was stuck in a new one where people saw him as a product of the new Iran. From that point on, Reza was the ultimate outsider. He was an Iranian immigrant living in an America that labeled his people as terrorists. He was half-Muslim and half-Jewish, with both sides of his extended family refusing to see him as wholly theirs. And to top it all off, he was a gay kid growing up in the '70s and '80s, afraid to be himself, even in his own Persian bubble. Emotional, funny, and raw, Memoirs of a Gay Shah is Reza's story of growing up as an outsider, who, in the face of constant rejection and isolation, diminished his presence and hid his true self for as long as possible. But eventually, Reza would come to learn that the things that make him an outsider are also what make him unique. His greatest assets are his differences, and with this newfound confidence, he began to pursue the life of a Shah-one of incredible luxury, progressive acceptance, unapologetic authenticity"-- Provided by publisher.

"The principles of Daoist philosophy are opposite to the normal modes of social activism; they oppose conflict, striving, standard-setting, clever techniques, and any kind of trust in language. Instead, they promote grounding onself in reality, flowing in natural directions, disengaging from conflict, and practicing patience. This approach may sound mystical and not of much use to protests, but viewed in another light, it results in some commonsense conclusions. Would you be more easily persuaded by someone who yelled angry accusations at you from across a barricade or by someone who sat down with you for a conversation? The Activist brings out this commonsense aspect of Daoist ideals to advocate for a new kind of social activism. This book critiques common modes of social and political activism and proposes new, more effective methods of promoting positive change."--Back cover.

"The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The New Menopause explains everything a woman needs to know to thrive during the often-misdiagnosed and medically ignored perimenopausal years. "I'm just not feeling like myself!" This is the battle cry of the perimenopausal woman. Though menstrual cycle changes and the emotional rollercoaster that accompanies them are the hallmarks of the transition to menopause, many women with regular periods as young as 35 can also start to feel irregular, with symptoms that include anxiety, fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, sexual symptoms, and volatile moods. This array of symptoms can be hugely disruptive--all the more so when a doctor dismisses a woman's complaints as all in her head or prescribes unnecessary and potentially harmful treatment. In The New Perimenopause, Dr. Mary Claire Haver--the trailblazing voice behind the movement to revolutionize health care for women--sets things straight. She explains that the numerous and varied symptoms of perimenopause occur in direct response to normal endocrine changes; this is the hormonal "zone of chaos." A comprehensive, authoritative book of science-backed information and lived experience, The New Perimenopause includes: Clear, science-backed explanations of what's going on in your body, from changes in your menstrual cycle to energy levels, mood, sleep, and sexual issues. How and why dealing with these changes now is preventative medicine for your later years. Checklists, questions for your doctor, and how to insist on good care. The very latest research on the benefits and side effects of progesterone therapy to help ease your hormonal transition. Whether you have symptoms or not, The New Perimenopause helps remove the mystery around this time of change, putting women in control of their health going forward." --