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An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination
by Sheera Frenkel Cecilia KangA riveting New York Times–bestselling exposé of Facebook’s fall from grace.Facebook has been under constant fire for the past five years, roiled by controversies and crises. As the tech giant was connecting the world, it was also mishandling users’ data, spreading fake news, and amplifying dangerous, polarizing hate speech—while relentlessly pursuing growth.The company, many said, had simply lost its way. But the truth is far more complex. Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, held up as archetypes of uniquely twenty-first-century executives, attempted to deflect attention from the crises. And while consumers and lawmakers focused their outrage on privacy breaches and misinformation, Facebook solidified its role as the world’s most voracious data-mining machine, posting record profits and shoring up its dominance via aggressive lobbying efforts.Drawing on their unrivaled sources, award–winning New York Times reporters Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia King unravel the tech behemoth’s complex politics, alliances, and rivalries to expose the fatal cracks in its architecture. They reveal how its missteps were not an anomaly but an inevitability—this is how Facebook was built to perform.WINNER OF THE SABEW BEST IN BUSINESS AWARDA Book of the Year: Fortune, Foreign Affairs, The Times (London), Cosmopolitan, TechCrunch, WIRED
An Unauthorized Biography of the World: Oral History on the Front Lines
by Michael RiordonAn Unauthorized Biography of the World explores the practice of engaged oral history: the difficult, sometimes dangerous work of recovering fragments of human story that have gone missing from the official versions. Michael Riordon has thirty years’ experience as a writer and broadcaster in the field. Readers will encounter a gallery of brave, passionate people who gather silenced voices and lost life stories. The canvas is broad, the stakes are high: the battles for First Nations lands in Canada; environmental justice in Chicago; genocide in Peru; homeless people organizing in Cleveland; September 11/01, and after, in New York City; gay survivors of electroshock in Britain; the struggle to preserve a people’s identity in Newfoundland; peasant resistance to a huge transnational gold mine in Turkey.
An Unbroken Chain: My Journey through the Nazi Holocaust
by Henry A. Oertelt Stephanie Oertelt SamuelsIn this amazing true-life account of the Holocaust, Henry Oertelt retraces the sequence of events that forever changed his destiny. Each event is broken down into eighteen separate incidents, all intrinsically linked to form the Chain of Life that kept him alive. Although often shocking, the remarkable events of Henry's life will touch the lives and hearts of readers everywhere.
An Uncertain Future: Voices Of A French Jewish Community, 1940-2012
by Robert I. Weiner Richard E. SharplessThis contemporary oral history, based on interviews conducted over an 18-year period, is the first of its kind in English. The interviews, some repeated with the same subjects over years, demonstrate how the Jewish community of Dijon has evolved over time in response to challenges both internal and external. The authors provide an introduction to the series of interviews as well as a detailed history of the community. A chronology, a map of Dijon, and photos of many interviewees are included. The book also provides an update on recent events in the community, a suggested reading list, and a bibliography.
An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions
by Amartya Sen Jean DrèzeWhy India's problems won't be solved by rapid economic growth aloneWhen India became independent in 1947 after two centuries of colonial rule, it immediately adopted a firmly democratic political system, with multiple parties, freedom of speech, and extensive political rights. The famines of the British era disappeared, and steady economic growth replaced the economic stagnation of the Raj. The growth of the Indian economy quickened further over the last three decades and became the second fastest among large economies. Despite a recent dip, it is still one of the highest in the world.Maintaining rapid as well as environmentally sustainable growth remains an important and achievable goal for India. In An Uncertain Glory, two of India's leading economists argue that the country's main problems lie in the lack of attention paid to the essential needs of the people, especially of the poor, and often of women. There have been major failures both to foster participatory growth and to make good use of the public resources generated by economic growth to enhance people's living conditions. There is also a continued inadequacy of social services such as schooling and medical care as well as of physical services such as safe water, electricity, drainage, transportation, and sanitation. In the long run, even the feasibility of high economic growth is threatened by the underdevelopment of social and physical infrastructure and the neglect of human capabilities, in contrast with the Asian approach of simultaneous pursuit of economic growth and human development, as pioneered by Japan, South Korea, and China.In a democratic system, which India has great reason to value, addressing these failures requires not only significant policy rethinking by the government, but also a clearer public understanding of the abysmal extent of social and economic deprivations in the country. The deep inequalities in Indian society tend to constrict public discussion, confining it largely to the lives and concerns of the relatively affluent. Drèze and Sen present a powerful analysis of these deprivations and inequalities as well as the possibility of change through democratic practice.
An Unchosen People: Jewish Political Reckoning in Interwar Poland
by Kenneth B. MossA revisionist account of interwar Europe’s largest Jewish community that upends histories of Jewish agency to rediscover reckonings with nationalism’s pathologies, diaspora’s fragility, Zionism’s promises, and the necessity of choice. What did the future hold for interwar Europe’s largest Jewish community, the font of global Jewish hopes? When intrepid analysts asked these questions on the cusp of the 1930s, they discovered a Polish Jewry reckoning with “no tomorrow.” Assailed by antisemitism and witnessing liberalism’s collapse, some Polish Jews looked past progressive hopes or religious certainties to investigate what the nation-state was becoming, what powers minority communities really possessed, and where a future might be found—and for whom. The story of modern Jewry is often told as one of creativity and contestation. Kenneth B. Moss traces instead a late Jewish reckoning with diasporic vulnerability, nationalism’s terrible potencies, Zionism’s promises, and the necessity of choice. Moss examines the works of Polish Jewry’s most searching thinkers as they confronted political irrationality, state crisis, and the limits of resistance. He reconstructs the desperate creativity of activists seeking to counter despair where they could not redress its causes. And he recovers a lost grassroots history of critical thought and political searching among ordinary Jews, young and powerless, as they struggled to find a viable future for themselves—in Palestine if not in Poland, individually if not communally. Focusing not on ideals but on a search for realism, Moss recasts the history of modern Jewish political thought. Where much scholarship seeks Jewish agency over a collective future, An Unchosen People recovers a darker tradition characterized by painful tradeoffs amid a harrowing political reality, making Polish Jewry a paradigmatic example of the minority experience endemic to the nation-state.
An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Trumpian Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics
by Greg SargentHow we got here, how to fix it: “One of the sharpest-eyed observers of contemporary American politics . . . exposes the dismal roots of our current moment.” —Daniel Ziblatt, New York Times–bestselling coauthor of How Democracies DieIn An Uncivil War, the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent sounds an urgent alarm about the deeper roots of our democratic backsliding—and how to turn things around before it’s too late.American democracy is facing a crisis as fraught as we’ve seen in decades. Donald Trump’s presidency and rhetoric has raised the specter of authoritarian rule. Extreme polarization and the scorched-earth war between the parties drags on with no end in sight. At the heart of this dangerous moment is a paradox: It took a figure as uniquely menacing as Trump to rivet the nation’s attention on the fragility of our democracy. Yet the causes of our dysfunction are long-running—they predate Trump, helped facilitate his rise, and, distressingly, will outlast him.Sargent reveals why we’ve fallen into the ditch—and how to get out of it. Drawing upon years of research and reporting, he exposes the unparalleled sophistication and ambition of GOP tactics, including computer-generated gerrymandering, underhanded voter suppression, and ever-escalating legislative hardball. All of this has been accompanied by foreign-government intervention and an unprecedented level of political disinformation that threatens to undermine the very possibility of shared agreement on facts—and poses profound new challenges to the media’s ability to inform the citizenry. Yet the Republican Party is only part of the problem. As Sargent provocatively reveals, Democrats share culpability for helping to accelerate this slide.But our plight is far from hopeless, and Sargent offers a series of doable prescriptions for saving our democracy, including a shift of focus toward state legislatures, creative voter registration policies, innovative approaches to fairer districting, and a new sense of purpose. The result is “a probing, sophisticated, very readable discussion of constitutional flaws and economic and ideological antagonisms, one that will give readers a deeper understanding of America’s political rot” (Publishers Weekly).“The author’s explanation is crystal-clear, if alarming . . . a solid appeal to small-r republican virtues and an altogether readable polemic.” —Kirkus Reviews
An Uncommon Alignment
by Ellie ThomasSequel to An Increasing EntanglementAfter the adventures of the spring of 1808 in Regency London, while beginning to fall in love, Clem Metcalfe, Abe Pengelly, and Humphrey Atkinson have the entire summer to consolidate their romantic relationship.But change is already afoot. Abe has distanced himself from his criminal past, now gainfully employed at the military headquarters of Horse Guards, sifting through valuable information to further the cause of the long war against France. Humphrey, at the whim of his beloved Aunt Cece, might have to depart from London and his lovers for the countryside together with the rest of high society. And Clem is studying hard for his longed-for reinstatement at Oxford University in the autumn, which will inevitably mean leaving his lovers at a distance.While the trio juggles their everyday routines, a shadow from the past reappears to threaten their harmony. Can Clem, Abe, and Humphrey thwart their mutual enemy for good? And might they finally have a chance to reach their happy ever after?
An Uncommon Cape: Researching the Histories and Mysteries of a Property (Excelsior Editions)
by Eleanor Phillips BrackbillWhen Eleanor Phillips Brackbill bought her suburban Westchester house in 2000, three mysteries came with it. First, from the former owner, came the information that the 1930s house was "a Sears house or something like that." Thrilled to think it might be a Sears, Roebuck & Co. mail-order house, Brackbill was determined to find evidence to prove it. She found instead a house pedigree of a different sort.Second, and even more provocative, was the discovery of several iron stakes protruding from the property's enormous granite outcropping, bigger in square footage than the house itself. When queried about them, the former owner told her, "Someone a long time ago kept monkeys there, chained to the stakes." Monkeys? Was this some kind of suburban legend? A third mystery came to light at closing, when a building inspector's letter contained a reference to the house having had, at one time, a different address. Why would the house have had another address? Her curiosity aroused, and intent upon finding the facts, Brackbill gradually peeled back layers of history, allowing the house and the land to tell their stories, and uncovering a past inextricably woven into four centuries of American history. At the same time, she found thirty-two owners, across 350 years, who had just one thing in common: ownership of a particular parcel of land.An Uncommon Cape not only tells the story of an eight-year odyssey of fact-finding and speculation but also answers the broader question: "What came before?" and, through material presented in twenty-two sidebars, offers readers insights and guidelines on how to find the stories behind their own homes.
An Uncommon Duke (Secret Lives of the Ton #2)
by Laurie BensonTo reclaim his wife’s heart—and rekindle their passionate love—a Duke must reveal his darkest secrets in this Regency romance.London, England, 1818. When the Duke of Winterbourne proposed to Olivia, she felt like the luckiest girl alive. Their happy marriage was the envy of the ton. But all that changed when Gabriel wasn’t there the night Olivia gave birth to their son . . . Gabriel’s life is rooted in darkness, and he’s learned the hard way not to trust anyone with the truth. Yet, now his wife wants to try for another child—and Gabriel must bare his secrets in order to bring Olivia back into his bed, and by his side, forever!
An Uncommon History of Common Things
by Henry Petroski John Thompson Bethanne PatrickSometime about 30,000 years ago, somebody stuck a sharp rock into a split stick-and presto! The axe was born. Our inquisitive species just loves tinkering, testing, and pushing the limits, and this delightfully different book is a freewheeling reference to hundreds of customs, notions, and inventions that reflect human ingenuity throughout history.From hand tools to holidays to weapons to washing machines, An Uncommon History of Common Things features hundreds of colorful illustrations, timelines, sidebars, and more as it explores just about every subject under the sun. Who knew that indoor plumbing has been around for 4,600 years, but punctuation, capital letters, and the handy spaces between written words only date back to the Dark Ages? Or that ancient soldiers baked a kind of pizza on their shields-when they weren't busy flying kites to frighten their foes?Every page of this quirky compendium catalogs something fascinating, surprising, or serendipitous. A lively, incomparably browsable read for history buffs, pop culture lovers, and anyone who relishes the odd and extraordinary details hidden in the everyday, it will inform, amuse, astonish-and alter the way you think about the clever creatures we call humans.
An Uncommon History of Common Things, Volume 2
by National Geographic Henri PetroskiThis vivid, engrossing book reveals the fascinating stories behind the objects in your world, what you wear, what you eat, what entertains you, and more. Discover the history behind the world's tallest skyscrapers, find out when people first started drinking caffeine and why it wakes us up, and learn how GPS came to be. Short entries illustrated by full color photos will include quirky anecdotes about the history of everyday objects, including the personalities and pitfalls along the path to innovation and unusual facts behind things we frequently see and use. Smart, surprising, and informative, this book is the ultimate resource for history and trivia buffs alike.
An Uncommon History of Common Things, Volume 2
by National GeographicThis vivid, engrossing book reveals the fascinating stories behind the objects in your world, what you wear, what you eat, what entertains you, and more. Discover the history behind the world's tallest skyscrapers, find out when people first started drinking caffeine and why it wakes us up, and learn how GPS came to be. For those who loved the first installment of An Uncommon History of Commmon Things come even more short entries illustrated by full color photos. These incorporate quirky anecdotes about the history of everyday objects, including the personalities and pitfalls along the path to innovation and unusual facts behind things we frequently see and use. Smart, surprising, and informative, this book is the ultimate resource for history and trivia buffs alike. Dive into these entertaining pages and let your curiosity to run wild!
An Uncommon Protector: The Loyal Heart, An Uncommon Protector, Love Held Captive (The Lone Star Heros' Love Stories #2)
by Shelley Shepard GrayOverwhelmed by the responsibilities of running a ranch on her own, Laurel Tracey decides to hire a convict—a man who&’s just scary enough to take care of squatters and just desperate enough to agree to a one year post.The years following the war have been hard on Laurel Tracey. Both her brother and her father died in battle, and her mother passed away shortly after receiving word of their demise. Laurel has been trying to run her two hundred acre ranch as best she can.When she discovers that squatters have settled in her north pasture and have no intention of leaving, Laurel decides to use the last of her money to free a prisoner from the local jail. If she agrees to offer him room and board for one year, he will have to work for her to pay off his debt.Former soldier Thomas Baker knows he&’s in trouble when he finds himself jailed because he couldn&’t pay a few fines. Laurel&’s offer might be his only ticket out. Though she&’s everything he ever dreamed of in a woman—sweet and tender-hearted, yet strong—he&’s determined to remain detached, work hard on her behalf, and count the days until he&’s free again.But when cattle start dying and Laurel&’s life is threatened, Thomas realizes more than just his freedom is on the line. Laurel needs someone to believe in her and protect her property. And it isn&’t long before Laurel realizes that Thomas Baker is far more than just a former soldier. He&’s a trustworthy hero, and he needs more than just his freedom—he needs her love and care too.
An Uncommon Woman: Empress Frederick, Daughter of Queen Victoria, Wife of the Crown Prince of Prussia, Mother of Kaiser Wilhelm
by Hannah PakulaA story of wars and revolutions, of the rise and fall of royal families, and of the birth of modern Germany is brilliantly told through the lives of the couple in the eye of the storm--Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, and her handsome, idealistic husband, Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia.
An Uncommon Woman: The Life of Lydia Hamilton Smith (Keystone Books)
by Mark KelleyLydia Hamilton Smith (1813–1884) was a prominent African American businesswoman in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the longtime housekeeper, life companion, and collaborator of the state’s abolitionist congressman Thaddeus Stevens. In his biography of this remarkable woman, Mark Kelley reveals how Smith served the cause of abolition, managed Stevens’s household, acquired property, and crossed racialized social boundaries.Born a free woman near Gettysburg, Smith began working for Stevens in 1844. Her relationship with Stevens fascinated and infuriated many, and it made Smith a highly recognizable figure both locally and nationally. The two walked side by side in Lancaster and in Washington, DC, as they worked to secure the rights of African Americans, sheltered people on the Underground Railroad, managed two households, raised her sons and his nephews, and built a real-estate business. In the last years of Stevens’s life, as his declining health threatened to short-circuit his work, Smith risked her own well-being to keep him alive while he led the drive to end slavery, impeach Andrew Johnson, and push for the ratification of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments.An Uncommon Woman is a vital history that accords Lydia Hamilton Smith the recognition that she deserves. Every American should know Smith’s inspiring story.
An Uncompromising Gospel: Lutheranism's First Identity Crisis and Lessons for Today
by Wade JohnstonMartin Luther with preached and written word unleashed the unconditional and uncompromising gospel of God's love for sinners in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. He exposed both man's lost condition and Christ's unfathomable love with unrelenting persistence and unmistakable clarity. Bound in sin, only Christ could set the sinner free, and Luther held Christ before his students, hearers, and readers. That message marked and formed his students and coworkers, and yet after his death bitter disputes broke out about some of the most central aspects of his theology. Debates cut to the very heart of the Reformation, and this while its future hung precariously in the balance. An Uncompromising Gospel highlights Luther's key theological teachings, details the controversies that broke out over them after his death, and provides important lessons for our own day, as Christians still struggle to grasp and hold forth the love of Christ for sinners dead in trespasses and sins. As Lutheranism in specific and Christianity as a whole struggle to find and articulate their identity in challenging times yet once again, An Uncompromising Gospel provides helpful reminders about what the chief task and message of the church are and ought to be as it presses forward in God's grace and with the good news of Christ Jesus.
An Unconditional Freedom: An Epic Love Story of the Civil War (The Loyal League #3)
by Alyssa ColeAn assassination plot that could end the Civil War, and a hidden enemy that could destroy a secret league of unsung heroes … Daniel Cumberland, born free in Massachusetts, studied law with dreams of helping his people—dreams that died the night he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Daniel is rescued, but he’s a changed man. When he’s offered entry into the Loyal League, the covert organization of Black spies who helped free him, he seizes the opportunity for vengeance against the Confederacy and those who support it. When the Union Army occupies the Florida home of Cuban Janeta Sanchez, daughter of an enslaved woman and the plantation owner who married her, her family’s wealth does not protect her father from being imprisoned. Under duress and blaming herself for the arrest, Janeta agrees to infiltrate a group called the Loyal League as a double agent—and finds a cause truly worth the sacrifice. Daniel is aggravated by the headstrong and much too observant new detective he’s paired with, and Janeta is intrigued by the broken but honorable man she is tasked with betraying. As they embark on a mission to intercept Jefferson Davis and thwart European meddling, their dual hidden agendas are threatened by the ghosts of their pasts and a growing affection that could strengthen both the Union and their souls—or lead to their downfall. Praise for Alyssa Cole “This book is fantastic.”—Kirkus STARRED REVIEW on A Hope Divided “Thoughtfully portrayed characters with deep minds and passionate hearts make this …sparkle.”—Booklist STARRED REVIEW on A Hope Divided “Brimming with vivid characterization, heartfelt dialogue, and sensual sweetness.”—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW on An Extraordinary Union
An Unconventional Countess: Regency Belles Of Bath (Regency Belles of Bath #1)
by Jenni FletcherFrom shopkeeper… to Earl’s wife!Two things are certain: Annabelle Fortini makes the best biscuits in Bath and Samuel Delaney, the charming bachelor who’s just entered her shop, is trouble! Her mother’s unfair exile from society has taught Anna aristocrats can’t be trusted. Samuel may be a famous naval hero and reluctant heir to an earldom, but Anna can’t fall in love with him! Unless she can overcome her pride…and surrender to her heart!From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.
An Unconventional Courtship
by Becky LowerFind out how the Fitzpatrick family began in this exciting prequel novella to the Cotillion Ball saga.Charlotte Ashcroft knows her family would never approve of her attending a women's rights speech in New York City alone. So when a busybody from back home confronts Charlotte, she grabs the man in a jaunty blue hat nearby and introduces him as her escort.George Fitzpatrick had boarded the new omnibus intent on nothing more than a ride from one point to another. Until that gorgeous young blonde suddenly claimed he was her chaperone. What's an up-and-coming young banker to do but help a lady out?Charlotte knows exactly what she wants, but can she convince a man who is her opposite that he can't live without her?Sensuality Level: Sensual
An Unconventional Courtship: A Cotillion Ball Novella
by Becky LowerFind out how the Fitzpatrick family began in this exciting prequel novella to the Cotillion Ball saga.Charlotte Ashcroft knows her family would never approve of her attending a women's rights speech in New York City alone. So when a busybody from back home confronts Charlotte, she grabs the man in a jaunty blue hat nearby and introduces him as her escort.George Fitzpatrick had boarded the new omnibus intent on nothing more than a ride from one point to another. Until that gorgeous young blonde suddenly claimed he was her chaperone. What's an up-and-coming young banker to do but help a lady out?Charlotte knows exactly what she wants, but can she convince a man who is her opposite that he can't live without her?Sensuality Level: Sensual
An Unconventional Courtship: A Cotillion Ball Novella
by Becky LowerFind out how the Fitzpatrick family began in this exciting prequel novella to the Cotillion Ball saga.Charlotte Ashcroft knows her family would never approve of her attending a women's rights speech in New York City alone. So when a busybody from back home confronts Charlotte, she grabs the man in a jaunty blue hat nearby and introduces him as her escort.George Fitzpatrick had boarded the new omnibus intent on nothing more than a ride from one point to another. Until that gorgeous young blonde suddenly claimed he was her chaperone. What's an up-and-coming young banker to do but help a lady out?Charlotte knows exactly what she wants, but can she convince a man who is her opposite that he can't live without her?Sensuality Level: Sensual
An Unconventional Duenna
by Paula MarshallTwo young women, up from Steepwood to London for the Season, immediately attract the attention of two highly eligible young men. Tall, dark and confident, Athene Filmer seizes the opportunity to act as companion to her small, blonde and decidedly timid friend when she is launched into the ton. Illegitimate, with no dowry, Athene sees this as her one chance to make a rich marriage. But troubles arise when both young women consider Adrian, Lord Kinloch, to be the ideal husband. It's more than obvious to Athene that his formidably brusque cousin, Nicholas Cameron, is disapproving of her - seeing her as an adventuress on the make - but since Nick has shown no signs of offering her marriage himself, she knows she should dismiss all thought of him! But Nick will not be ignored. . .
An Unconventional Miss
by Dorothy ElburyMiss Jessica Beresford is headstrong, impetuous and poorly-dowered. Benedict Ashcroft, Earl of Wyvern, knows he should steer well clear of her, no matter how dazzling her beauty. His late brother has seemingly lost the family fortune, and Ben's last hope is to marry a well-behaved heiress!Jessica's exquisite loveliness is matched by her kind heart, and Ben is soon torn between duty and desire. So when she unlocks a secret that embroils them both in mystery and danger, Ben must secure both his family's future-and Jessica as his bride!
An Unconventional Widow
by Georgina DevonWhen the widow met the rakeWhen Sir Hugo Fitzsimmon returns home from the battlefields, he is stunned to find Lady Annabell Fenwick-Clyde working on his estate. He had left his steward in charge, but it had never crossed Hugo’s mind that he would hire a woman!Hugo is conscious that if he lets Annabell continue to stay under his roof her reputation will be torn to shreds. Curiously, the fiercely independent and beautiful widow seems immune to Society’s regard. But she isn’t immune to his touch....