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Unpunished Murder: Massacre at Colfax and the Quest for Justice
by Lawrence GoldstoneHow the Supreme Court turned a blind eye on justice, stripped away the equal rights promised to all Americans, and ushered in the era of Jim Crow.On Easter Sunday of 1873, just eight years after the Civil War ended, a band of white supremacists marched into Grant Parish, Louisiana, and massacred over one hundred unarmed African Americans. The court case that followed reached the highest court in the land. Yet, following one of the most ghastly incidents of mass murder in American history, not one person was convicted.The opinion issued by the Supreme Court in US v. Cruikshank set in motion a process that would help create a society in which Black Americans were oppressed and denied basic human rights—legally, according to the courts. These injustices paved the way for Jim Crow and would last for the next hundred years. Many continue to exist to this day.In this compelling and thoroughly researched volume for young readers, Lawrence Goldstone traces the evolution of the law and the fascinating characters involved in the story of how the Supreme Court helped institutionalize racism in the American justice system.“Spotlighting an event seldom discussed in books for young people, Goldstone provides a complex, useful historical context for understanding issues surrounding race and justice.” —Booklist (starred review)“A unique look at not only the massacre in question, but also at the history and workings of the Supreme Court of the United States.” —School Library Connection“The book is, in large part, the story of how racism evolves, persisting in laws and politics despite major social advances.” —The Horn Book (starred review)
Unraveling Abolition: Legal Culture and Slave Emancipation in Colombia (Studies in Legal History)
by Edgardo Pérez MoralesUnraveling Abolition tells the fascinating story of slaves, former slaves, magistrates and legal workers who fought for emancipation, without armed struggle, from 1781 to 1830. By centering the Colombian judicial forum as a crucible of antislavery, Edgardo Pérez Morales reveals how the meanings of slavery, freedom and political belonging were publicly contested. In the absence of freedom of the press or association, the politics of abolition were first formed during litigation. Through the life stories of enslaved litigants and defendants, Pérez Morales illuminates the rise of antislavery culture, and how this tradition of legal tinkering and struggle shaped claims to equal citizenship during the anti-Spanish revolutions of the early 1800s. By questioning foundational constitutions and laws, this book uncovers how legal activists were radically committed to the idea that independence from Spain would be incomplete without emancipation for all slaves.
Unravelling Tort and Crime
by Matthew DysonTort law and criminal law are closely bound together but their relationship rarely receives sustained and rigorous scrutiny. This is the first significant project in England and Wales to address that shortcoming. Building on growing interest amongst both academics and practitioners in the relationship between tort and crime, it draws together leading experts to chart the field and explore key points of interest. It uses a range of perspectives from legal theory, doctrine, legal history and comparative law to address some of the most important and interesting links between tort and crime. Examples include how the illegality defence operates to avoid stultification of the law, the difference between criminal and civil causation, how the Motor Insurers' Bureau not only insures but acts to enforce laws and alter behaviour, and why civil law only very rarely restores specific property but the criminal law does it daily.
Unreasonable Doubts: A Novel
by Reyna Marder GentinJaded New York City Public Defender Liana Cohen would give anything to have one client in whom she can believe. Dozens of hardened criminals and repeat offenders have chipped away at her faith in both herself and the system. Her boyfriend Jakob’s high-powered law firm colleagues see her do-gooder job as a joke, which only adds to the increasing strain in their relationship. Enter imprisoned felon Danny Shea, whose unforgivable crime would raise a moral conflict in an attorney at the height of her idealism—and that hasn't been Liana in quite a while. But Danny's astonishing blend of good looks, intelligence, and vulnerability intrigues Liana. Could he be the client she’s been longing for—the wrongly accused in need of a second chance? Is he innocent? As their attorney-client relationship transforms into something less than arm’s length, Liana is forced to confront fundamental questions of truth, faith, and love—and to decide who she wants to be.
Unredacted: Russia, Trump, and the Fight for Democracy
by Christopher SteeleThe intelligence officer behind the explosive “Steele Dossier” steps out of the shadows, revealing a searing new report on the threat Putin and Trump pose to democracy, based on alarming intelligence exposed in these pages for the first time“Putin is now desperate to have Donald Trump back in the White House. If he succeeds in helping Trump get reelected, I am convinced that the global political order will be utterly changed. We shall have entered a new historical era of strategic chaos, a ‘new world disorder.’ The consequences of Trump winning the 2024 election are catastrophic.” –from UnredactedTo a unique degree, Christopher Steele has been an eyewitness observer of modern Russian history. He was a British diplomat and intelligence professional in Moscow when the Soviet Union was collapsing. Steele was there when the putsch against Mikhail Gorbachev took place and when Boris Yeltsin took over the newly independent Russia. After Vladimir Putin came to power, Steele rose to become one of British government’s leading Russia experts and played a central role in the investigation into the Kremlin-ordered murder of Alexander Litvinenko. Then, in 2016, he wrote a series of explosive reports about the then presidential candidate Donald Trump and his links to Russia. Now known to the world as the “Steele Dossier,” these intelligence documents drew the world’s attention to Russia’s relationship with Trump—and reluctantly thrust Steele into the center of a global maelstrom. Since Trump’s election, he has quietly continued his work. Indeed, Steele has had even better access to sources of information and intelligence on Russia—ones that have given him a privileged view of what’s going on inside the Kremlin, and how much we in the West should worry about it. In Unredacted, Steele shares for the first time what that inside view looks like, how he came to the point of gaining such a level of insight, and what Western governments—and all of us—can and should do to counter this generational threat.
Unregulated Custody Transfer of Adopted Children
by Marina RakopyanDid you know that once a week an adopted child is advertised to be given away on Internet? The book “Unregulated Custody Transfer of Adopted Children’ is a thought-provoking and an eye-opening book that uncovers the gray zone of adoption. The book talks about the often-overlooked issue of the terrifying reality of national and international adoption. Through legal analysis and accompanying story this book sheds light on the heart-wrenching reality of children who have been rehomed. It delves into the lives of adoptive families who find themselves overwhelmed and unable to care for their adopted children, leading to a black market of custody transfer where vulnerable children are given away with one click and with just one piece of paper to strangers. This book is a must-read for as it highlights the urgent need for increased regulation and oversight to protect the well-being of children in need of safe and loving homes. Particular attention is given to the international adoption and the countries such as Russia and Ukraine. The author has played close attention to the laws and regulations in the above mentioned countries by first hand translation and research, in order to give a deeper insights into the heartbreaking reality of unregulated custody transfer of adopted children. The book provides helpful insights for lawmakers, legal practitioners, scholars, child care professionals, international law scholars and students interested in human rights law, adoption law, and child protection.
Unrestrained: Judicial Excess and the Mind of the American Lawyer
by Robert F. NagelRobert Nagel's innovative volume attempts to explain why, despite almost four decades of conservative and moderate appointments, the Supreme Court continues to intervene aggressively in a wide array of social and political issues. The explanation lies primarily in the psychological effects of the way that lawyers think about law and judging. The instincts ingrained by the experiences common to legal education and the successful practice of law also work to encourage the reckless use of power.Nagel argues that the problem with the modern judicial role is cultural and political. He demonstrates that judges, especially Supreme Court justices, have degraded our political discourse, intensified social conflict, and drained moral confidence.By examining modern Supreme Court confirmation hearings along with certain classic legal writings, Nagel shows how modern lawyers have a broad consensus on how to interpret the Constitution and, more generally, how to think about law. One major component of this mindset is to combine realism with legalism in ways that naturally tend to expand the judiciary's imperial role. Realism counsels that decisions are inevitably partly personal and therefore cannot be conclusively justified while legalism imparts the sense that the judge's interpretation is the best one possible. This combination of the personal and political, along with other aspects of modem legal thinking and training, means that judges are not only unconstrained by professional norms but actually are impelled by them to use power expansively.This issue is important to every person living in the U.S., as the Supreme Court's decisions concern everyone in the nation. It has the potential to be read by lawmakers, lawyers, students of law and political science, and anyone interested in Constitutional law. The thesis is unique and the execution is precise.
Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy (World Citizen Comics)
by Daniel G. NewmanAn intriguing and accessible nonfiction graphic novel about the role wealth and influence play in American democracy.Despite our immense political divisions, Americans are nearly united in our belief that something is wrong with our government: It works for the wealthy and powerful, but not for anyone else. Unrig exposes the twisted roots of our broken democracy and highlights the heroic efforts of those unrigging the system to return power to We the People.This stirring nonfiction graphic novel by democracy reform leader Daniel G. Newman and artist George O’Connor takes readers behind the scenes—from the sweaty cubicles where senators dial corporate CEOs for dollars, to lavish retreats where billionaires boost their favored candidates, to the map rooms where lawmakers scheme to handpick their voters. Unrig also highlights surprising solutions that limit the influence of big money and redraw the lines of political power.If you're overwhelmed by negative news and despairing for the direction of our country, Unrig is a tonic that will restore your faith and reveal the path forward to fix our broken democracy.
Unrigging American Elections: Reform Past and Prologue (Elections, Voting, Technology)
by Dari Sylvester TranThis critical and systematic analysis of election reforms post-HAVA (Help America Vote Act of 2002) offers a detailed look ahead at the significant challenges that remain in the context of a new presidential administration. Employing a mixed methodological approach, this book analyzes the biggest election challenges faced by voters and election administrators in the areas of voter registration, polling place and non-polling place voting, election administration personnel, and voting technology. Within the framework of the competing values of integrity and access, this book fills a crucial gap in the existing literature by analyzing the impact of election reform wins and losses. The book concludes with a promising agenda for the future of election reform and the political considerations that will be brought to bear on that agenda.
Unruly: Fighting Back when Politics, AI, and Law Upend the Rules of Business
by Sean WestA bold exploration of modern business risk in a volatile world where traditional rules no longer apply In Unruly: Fighting Back when Politics, AI, and Law Upend the Rules of Business, co-founder of software company Hence Technologies and former Global Deputy CEO of Eurasia Group, Sean West, delivers a startlingly insightful new take on how politics, technology and law are converging to upend the rules of business, generating dangerous risks and incredible opportunities. West convincingly argues that we must understand all three factors to get leverage over the future – a future filled with eroding rule of law, deepfakes that upend elections and court decisions, government pressure for businesses to be patriotic, robot lobbyists, a flood of automated legal claims pointed directly at your company and much more. Unruly offers detailed, practical advice for how to understand the world ahead, how to be resilient in the face of innumerable and complex challenges, and how to surround your business with the people and technology you need to excel in this environment. Inside the book: A framework for understanding all of the pressures on modern corporations from the convergence of geopolitics, technology and law. Strategies for turning your company's legal department into a source of enduring competitive advantage How to navigate government pressure for nationalism when you have a global footprint Approaches to winning in a world where courts are politicized and the law is increasingly automated, built on interviews with top experts Ways to deal with the backlash to ESG at a company level Perfect for executives, managers, entrepreneurs, founders, and other business leaders, Unruly is also a must-read for general counsels and the advisors who serve them.
Unschärferelationen: Konstruktionen der Differenz von Politik und Recht (Politologische Aufklärung – konstruktivistische Perspektiven)
by Jörn Knobloch Thorsten SchleeDas prekäre Verhältnis von Politik und Recht ist ein beständiges Thema der Politikwissenschaft und öffentlicher demokratischer Diskurse. Die in diesem Band versammelten Beiträge fokussieren das umstrittene Verhältnis von Politik und Recht in Auseinandersetzung mit konstruktivistischen Theorien der Politik. Sie weisen das Verhältnis zweier Semantiken und die ihm zugeschriebenen Kausalitätsbeziehungen in der Zusammenschau als Unschärferelationen aus. Der Band identifiziert die Unschärfen des Zusammenspiels von Politik und Recht in Fragen der Gründung von Demokratie und Verfassung, in den Diskursen um die Politisierung der Verfassungsgerichtsbarkeit wie umgekehrt der Verrechtlichung des Politischen und nicht zuletzt in Kontexten der Produktion internationaler Normen wie auch der Kollision internationaler Rechtsregime.
Unsere Wirtschaft ethisch überdenken: Eine Aufforderung
by Detlef PietschEs läuft ganz und gar nicht rund in unserer Wirtschaft: Kam bereits vor der Pandemie der Wohlstand nicht mehr bei allen an, wurde die soziale Ungleichheit durch Corona noch weiter verschärft. Von Bildungsgerechtigkeit konnte spätestens zu Zeiten von Homeschooling nicht mehr die Rede sein. Zusätzlich bedrohte Hochwasser im Sommer 2021 einige Gebiete in Deutschland und hinterließ viele Tote. Einige verloren in kurzer Zeit ihr Hab und Gut und standen buchstäblich vor dem Nichts. Der Klimawandel ist nicht mehr zu leugnen, er hat uns alle mit Wucht erfasst. Dass wir die Ökonomie dringend mit der Ökologie versöhnen müssen, ist mittlerweile allen klar. Die Frage ist lediglich, wie das konkret aussehen soll. Nehmen wir diese Ereignisse als Aufforderung, intensiv darüber nachzudenken und zu diskutieren, wie wir unsere Wirtschaft ethisch auf ein neues Niveau heben können.
Unsettled: How the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Failed the Victims of the American Overdose Crisis
by Ryan HamptonA shocking inside account of reckless capitalism and injustice in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case.In September 2019, Purdue Pharma—the maker of OxyContin and a company controlled by the infamous billionaire Sackler family—filed for bankruptcy to protect itself from 2,600 lawsuits for its role in fueling the U.S. overdose crisis. Author and activist Ryan Hampton served as co-chair of the official creditors committee that acted as a watchdog during the process, one of only four victims appointed among representatives of big insurance companies, hospitals, and pharmacies. He entered the case believing that exposing the Sacklers and mobilizing against Purdue would be enough to right the scales of justice. But he soon learned that behind closed doors, justice had plenty of other competition—and it came with a hefty price tag.Unsettled is the inside story of Purdue’s excruciating Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, the company’s eventual restructuring, and the Sackler family’s evasion of any true accountability. It’s also the untold story of how a group of determined ordinary people tried to see justice done against the odds—and in the face of brutal opposition from powerful institutions and even government representatives. Although America was envisioned as an equitable place, where the vulnerable are protected from the greed of the powerful, the corporate-bankruptcy process betrays those values. In its heart of hearts, this system is built to shield the ultra-wealthy, exploit loopholes for political power, promote gross wealth inequality, and allow companies such as Purdue Pharma to run amok.The real story of the Purdue bankruptcy wasn’t that the billion-dollar corporation was a villain, a serial federal offender. No matter what the media said, Purdue didn’t do this alone. They were aided and abetted by the very systems and institutions that were supposed to protect Americans. Even on-your-side elected officials worked against Purdue’s victims—maintaining the status quo at all costs.Americans deserve to know exactly who is responsible for failing to protect people over profits—and what a human life is worth to corporations, billionaires, and lawmakers. Unsettled is what happened behind closed doors—the story of a sick, broken system that destroyed millions of lives and let the Sacklers off almost scot-free.
Unsettling Accounts: Neither Truth Nor Reconciliation in Confessions of State Violence
by Leigh A. PayneAn Argentine naval officer remorsefully admits that he killed thirty people during Argentina's Dirty War. A member of General Augusto Pinochet's intelligence service reveals on a television show that he took sadistic pleasure in the sexual torture of women in clandestine prisons. A Brazilian military officer draws on his own experiences to write a novel describing the military's involvement in a massacre during the 1970s. The head of a police death squad refuses to become the scapegoat for apartheid-era violence in South Africa; he begins to name names and provide details of past atrocities to the Truth Commission. Focusing on these and other confessions to acts of authoritarian state violence, Leigh A. Payne asks what happens when perpetrators publicly admit or discuss their actions. While mechanisms such as South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission are touted as means of settling accounts with the past, Payne contends that public confessions do not settle the past. They are unsettling by nature. Rather than reconcile past violence, they catalyze contentious debate. She argues that this debate--and the public confessions that trigger it--are healthy for democratic processes of political participation, freedom of expression, and the contestation of political ideas. Payne draws on interviews, unedited television film, newspaper archives, and books written by perpetrators to analyze confessions of state violence in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and South Africa. Each of these four countries addressed its past through a different institutional form--from blanket amnesty, to conditional amnesty based on confessions, to judicial trials. Payne considers perpetrators' confessions as performance, examining what they say and what they communicate nonverbally; the timing, setting, and reception of their confessions; and the different ways that they portray their pasts, whether in terms of remorse, heroism, denial, or sadism, or through lies or betrayal.
Unsettling Apologies: Critical Writings on Apology from South Africa (Law, Society, Policy)
by Melanie Judge and Dee SmytheThere has recently been a global resurgence of demands for the acknowledgement of historical and contemporary wrongs, as well as for apologies and reparation for harms suffered. Drawing on the histories of injustice, dispossession and violence in South Africa, this book examines the cultural, political and legal role, and value of, an apology. It examines the multiple ways in which ‘sorry’ is instituted, articulated and performed, and critically analyses its various forms and functions in both historical and contemporary moments. Bringing together an interdisciplinary team of contributors, the book’s analysis offers insights that will be invaluable to global debates on the struggle for justice.
Unsettling Colonialism in the Canadian Criminal Justice System
by Vicki Chartrand Josephine SavareseThe development of the Canadian criminal justice system has been central to the dispossession of Indigenous populations and the safeguarding of colonial relations of power. Through the mechanisms of surveillance, segregation, and containment, the justice system ensures that Indigenous peoples remain in a state of economic deprivation, social isolation, and political subjection. Contributors to this volume examine historical expressions and ongoing reinforcement of settler colonialism with a view to illuminating how it manifests in contemporary police actions and criminal proceedings. Using an anti-colonial lens, alternative conceptualizations and practices of justice are explored. The volume includes testaments from Indigenous people currently in federal penitentiaries across Canada that show current penal and carceral arrangements for Indigenous people.
Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia
by Kate ManneNATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • The definitive takedown of fatphobia, drawing on personal experience as well as rigorous research to expose how size discrimination harms everyone, and how to combat it—from the acclaimed author of Down Girl and Entitled&“An elegant, fierce, and profound argument for fighting fat oppression in ourselves, our communities, and our culture.&”—Roxane Gay, author of HungerFor as long as she can remember, Kate Manne has wanted to be smaller. She can tell you what she weighed on any significant occasion: her wedding day, the day she became a professor, the day her daughter was born. She&’s been bullied and belittled for her size, leading to extreme dieting. As a feminist philosopher, she wanted to believe that she was exempt from the cultural gaslighting that compels so many of us to ignore our hunger. But she was not.Blending intimate stories with the trenchant analysis that has become her signature, Manne shows why fatphobia has become a vital social justice issue. Over the last several decades, implicit bias has waned in every category, from race to sexual orientation, except one: body size. Manne examines how anti-fatness operates—how it leads us to make devastating assumptions about a person&’s attractiveness, fortitude, and intellect, and how it intersects with other systems of oppression. Fatphobia is responsible for wage gaps, medical neglect, and poor educational outcomes; it is a straitjacket, restricting our freedom, our movement, our potential.In this urgent call to action, Manne proposes a new politics of &“body reflexivity&”—a radical reevaluation of who our bodies exist in the world for: ourselves and no one else. When it comes to fatphobia, the solution is not to love our bodies more. Instead, we must dismantle the forces that control and constrain us, and remake the world to accommodate people of every size.
Unsolved Case Files: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money (Unsolved Case Files Ser. #1)
by Tom SullivanAn ALA Top Ten Best Graphic Novel for ChildrenA thrilling new graphic nonfiction series about real FBI cases, launching with a gripping, minute-by-minute account of the only unsolved airplane hijacking in the U.S.CASE NO. 001: NORJAK NOVEMBER 24, 1971 PORTLAND, OREGON2:00 P.M. A man in his mid-forties, wearing a suit and overcoat, buys a ticket for Northwest Orient Airlines flight 305 bound for Seattle.3:07 P.M. The man presents his demands: $200,000 in cash and four parachutes. If the demands are not met, he threatens to detonate the explosive device in his briefcase.So begins the astonishing true story of the man known as D.B. Cooper, and the only unsolved airplane hijacking case in the United States. Comic panels, reproductions of documents from real FBI files, and photos from the investigation combine for a thrilling read for sleuths of all ages.What better way to draw readers into nonfiction than through an exciting graphic novel? This series will appeal to readers of series such as Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. Fans of history and whodunits, CSI-club kids, and graphic novel enthusiasts alike will be pulled in by the suspenseful, complex, and kid-appropriate cases in this series.Sidebars provide fun facts about pre-2001 air travel, serial numbers on currency, airplane design, and more. Backmatter showcases period photos and primary source material in FBI archives.
Unsolved History: Investigating Mysteries of the Past
by Joe NickellWhat constitutes historical truth is often subject to change. Joe Nickell demonstrates the techniques used in solving some of the world's most perplexing mysteries, such as the authenticity of Abraham Lincoln's celebrated Bixby letter, the 1913 disappearance of writer and journalist Ambrose Bierce, and the apparent real-life model for a mysterious character in a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nickell also uses newly uncovered evidence to further investigate the identity of the Nazi war criminal known as ""Ivan the Terrible.""
Unsolved No More: A Cold Case Detective's Fight For Justice
by Kenneth L. MainsThe life and crime solving of the renowned detective who&’s &“a voice for all who have been silenced&” (Lt. Joe Kenda [ret], the &“Homicide Hunter&”).As a law enforcement officer for more than fifteen years, Detective Kenneth L. Mains has investigated thousands of crimes, including working undercover with the FBI, solving cold case homicides, investigating the Mafia, and leading one of the greatest cold case organizations ever assembled. This is his story and that of the victims for whom he speaks.&“A tremendous amount of respect for his investigative insights and his integrity.&” —Jim Clemente, former FBI profiler and writer for Criminal MindsUnsolved No More will take readers on a journey with a struggling kid who barely graduated high school to a teenager who joined the Marine Corps and finally a man who put himself through college to accomplish his lifelong goal of becoming a police detective. Mains, who is routinely sought out by law enforcement and victims&’ families to help solve cold cases, writes about his own investigations to show readers how he goes about solving crimes others had given up on.&“Kenneth Mains is a law enforcement equivalent of a surgeon of cold cases . . . he diagnoses the issues and, working with precision, dissects the cases with consummate skill and care . . . I highly recommend this wonderful book if you want to understand the cold case investigatory process or if you want to dive into some cases that are filled with twists, turns, and more than a few surprises.&” —Blaine Pardoe, New York Times–bestselling author
Unsolved: True Canadian Cold Cases
by Robert J. HoshowskyDespite advances in DNA testing, forensics, and the investigative skills used by police, hundreds of crimes remain unsolved across Canada. With every passing day trails grow colder and decades can pass before a new lead or witness comes forward if one comes forward. In Unsolved, Robert J. Hoshowsky examines twelve crimes that continue to haunt us. Some cases are well-known, while others have virtually disappeared from the public eye. All of the cases remain open, and many are being re-examined by police using the latest tools and technology. Hoshowsky takes the reader through all aspects of the crimes and how police are trying to solve them using three-dimensional facial reconstructions, DNA testing, age-enhanced drawings, original crime scene photos, and more. None of the individuals profiled in Unsolved deserved their fate, but their stories deserve to be told and their killers need to be brought to justice.
Unsound Empire: Civilization and Madness in Late-Victorian Law
by Catherine L. EvansA study of the internal tensions of British imperial rule told through murder and insanity trialsUnsound Empire is a history of criminal responsibility in the nineteenth‑century British Empire told through detailed accounts of homicide cases across three continents. If a defendant in a murder trial was going to hang, he or she had to deserve it. Establishing the mental element of guilt—criminal responsibility—transformed state violence into law. And yet, to the consternation of officials in Britain and beyond, experts in new scientific fields posited that insanity was widespread and growing, and evolutionary theories suggested that wide swaths of humanity lacked the self‑control and understanding that common law demanded. Could it be fair to punish mentally ill or allegedly “uncivilized” people? Could British civilization survive if killers avoided the noose?
Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape
by Jessica LutherA meticulously researched and powerful exposé on the epidemic of cover-up that surrounds sexual assault and college football players.“Not to reckon with Luther’s book would be an abdication not only of one’s moral faculty but also of one’s fandom . . . Luther doesn’t just want to save future victims; she wants to save college football.” —New York Times Book Review“Highly relevant, hard-hitting, much-needed information that reveals the widespread existence of rape by sports players on college campuses.” —Kirkus ReviewsFootball teams create playbooks, in which they draw up the plays they will use on the field. Playbooks are how teams work and why they win. This book is about a different kind of playbook: the one coaches, teams, universities, police, communities, the media, and fans seem to follow whenever a college football player is accused of sexual assault. It’s a deep dive into how different institutions—the NCAA, athletic departments, universities, the media—run the same plays over and over again when these stories break. If everyone runs his play well, scrutiny dies down quickly, no institution ever has to change how it operates, and the evaporation of these cases into nothingness looks natural. In short, this playbook is why nothing ever changes.Unsportsmanlike Conduct unpacks this societal playbook piece by piece, and not only advocates that we destroy the old plays, but also suggests we replace them with ones that will force us to finally do something about this issue.Political sportswriter and Edge of Sports imprint curator Dave Zirin (the Nation) has never shied away from criticizing that which die-hard sports fans hold dear. The Edge of Sports titles will address issues across many different sports—football, basketball, swimming, tennis, etc.—and at both the professional and nonprofessional/collegiate levels. Furthermore, Zirin brings to the table select stories of athletes’ journeys and what they are facing and how they evolve both in their sport as well as against the greater backdrop of one’s life’s odyssey.
Unstaging War, Confronting Conflict and Peace
by Tony FryThis book presents the concept of ‘unstaging’ war as a strategic response to the failure of the discourse and institutions of peace. This failure is explained by exploring the changing character of conflict in current and emergent global circumstances, such as asymmetrical conflicts, insurgencies, and terrorism. Fry argues that this pluralisation of war has broken the binary relation between war and peace: conflict is no longer self-evident, and consequentially the changes in the conditions, nature, systems, philosophies and technologies of war must be addressed. Through a deep understanding of contemporary war, Fry explains why peace fails as both idea and process, before presenting ‘Unstaging War’ as a concept and nascent practice that acknowledges conflict as structurally present, and so is not able to be dealt with by attempts to create peace. Against a backdrop of increasingly tense relations between global power blocs, the beginnings of a new nuclear arms race, and the ever-increasing human and environmental impacts of climate change, a more viable alternative to war is urgently needed. Unstaging War is not claimed as a solution, but rather as an exploration of critical problems and an opening into the means of engaging with them.
Unsustainable: Measurement, Reporting, and the Limits of Corporate Sustainability
by Matthew ArcherA behind-the-scenes look at how corporate and financial actors enforce a business-friendly approach to global sustainabilityIn recent years, companies have felt the pressure to be transparent about their environmental impact. Large documents containing summaries of yearly emissions rates, carbon output, and utilized resources are shared on companies’ social media pages, websites, and employee briefings in a bid for public confidence in corporate responsibility.And yet, Matthew Archer argues, these metrics are often just hollow symbols. Unsustainable contends with the world of big banks and multinational corporations, where sustainability begins and ends with measuring and reporting. Drawing on five years of research among sustainability professionals in the US and Europe, Unsustainable shows how this depoliticizing tendency to frame sustainability as a technical issue enhances and obscures corporate power while doing little, if anything, to address the root causes of the climate crisis and issues of social inequality. Through this obsession with metrics and indicators, the adage that you can’t manage what you can’t measure transforms into a belief that once you’ve measured social and environmental impacts, the market will simply manage them for you.The book draws on diverse sources of evidence—ethnographic fieldwork among a wide array of sustainability professionals, interviews with private bankers, and apocalyptic science fiction—and features analyses of name-brand companies including Volkswagen, Unilever, and Nestlé. Making the case for the limits of measuring and reporting, Archer seeks to mobilize alternative approaches. Through an intersectional lens incorporating Black and Indigenous theories of knowledge, power and value, he offers a vision of sustainability that aims to be more effective and more socially and ecologically just.