Special Collections
New York Times Best Sellers - Non-Fiction
Description: Bookshare is pleased to offer the top 10 non-fiction books from the New York Times best seller list on a weekly basis. Books are added in as they become available. The month corresponds to the first time they appeared on the list. #adults
- Table View
- List View
Vaccines
by John Leake and Peter A. McCulloughThe word &“vaccine&” derives from the Latin word for cow. The English physician, Edward Jenner, coined it in his 1798 pamphlet An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae. The last two Latin words mean &“Smallpox of the Cow,&” or cowpox. Jenner postulated that cowpox causes mild disease in humans while protecting them from the more dangerous smallpox. His proposal for inoculation with a weak form of disease-causing matter to prevent serious illness became the central concept of infectious disease medicine and has remained so ever since. The word &“vaccine&” was subsequently applied to immunizations against all infectious diseases. Its etymology is amazingly apt, because vaccines are the ultimate sacred cow. Vaccines: Mythology, Ideology, and Reality tells the story of this technology and the celebrated men who developed it with some success, but also with failures that are never mentioned in the celebratory literature on vaccines. Vaccine advocates often proclaim that they &“follow the science,&” but most vaccine development has been a matter of guesses, gambles, and wild experimentation. Its key figures have been biased by religious faith, wishful thinking, ideology, and a desire for recognition and money. Though credit is due to some vaccines for reducing infectious disease morbidity and mortality, their contribution to public health in developed nations has been grossly exaggerated by propagandists. Dramatic improvements in nutrition and sanitation were the primary drivers of this trend. The authors do not dismiss the concept of vaccination but seek to promote a more informed and less dogmatic discussion about its risks and benefits. Critical evaluation can only make the technology safer and more effective.
Gwyneth
by Amy OdellPraise for the New York Times bestseller Anna: The Biography &“Odell&’s insights...are fascinating.&” —The New York Times &“A wonderful romp through Wintour&’s world: couture at its juiciest.&” —The Washington Post New York Times bestselling author Amy Odell takes readers inside the world of one of the most influential and polarizing celebrities of the modern era—complete with exclusive new stories about her childhood, acting career, romances, and her lifestyle brand Goop.Love her or hate her, Gwyneth Paltrow has managed to stay on the A-list, her influence spanning entertainment, fashion, and the modern wellness industry. Gwyneth was born to parents viewed as Hollywood royalty, and that immense privilege turned her into a target of backlash when, at just twenty-six, she won an Oscar. Rather than cave in to criticism, she leveraged the attention for valuable endorsement deals and film roles, eventually founding her controversial wellness and lifestyle company, Goop. Over the decades, she has participated in countless carefully managed interviews, but the real Gwyneth—the basis of her motives, desires, strengths, faults, and vulnerabilities—has never been fully revealed, until now. Based on exclusive conversations with more than 220 sources, including close current and former friends and colleagues, this deeply researched biography provides insight and behind-the-scenes details of her relationships, family, friendships, iconic films, and tenure as the CEO of Goop. Gwyneth offers the fascinating, definitive look at how Paltrow rose to prominence, stayed in the limelight, and shaped culture—for better or worse—for so long.
On Power
by Mark R. LevinThe eight-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, radio host, and Fox News star Mark R. Levin delivers a profound analysis of the philosophy and structure of power and the critical impact of liberty on our collective future. Throughout history, from ancient civilizations to modern Western republics, power has been used to both oppress and liberate. To reward and exploit. To destroy and build. Monarchs, dictators, and elites who impose tyranny seek to consolidate power, stripping freedom from individuals to maintain control over societies. They use force and deception to ensure their rules remain unchallenged, claiming to act in the name of the common good while stripping individuals of their freedoms. In contrast, those who seek to use power for good—such as America&’s Constitutional Framers—understand that strong societies are born not from force, but consent. Societies built on checks and balances, fair elections, and the preservation of individual rights not only survive, but thrive. Following in the footsteps of works by thinkers such as Alexis de Tocqueville and Frédéric Bastiat, Mark R. Levin&’s On Power examines how power shapes history, offering invaluable insights into individual liberty, unalienable rights, and conservative principles from one of the leading philosophers of modern conservatism.
My Good Side
by Scheana ShayAn intimate memoir from Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay, delving into everything from the origin story of the iconic show, to her struggles with fertility and pregnancy loss, and the behind-the-scenes moments that were left on the cutting room floor. Before eleven seasons of record-breaking TV, two Emmy nominations, and a chart-topping podcast, Scheananigans, Scheana thought that signing on to the Real Housewives' spin-off show, Vanderpump Rules, was a stepping stone to reaching her ultimate goal of becoming a successful actress in Hollywood. After appearing on shows like 90210, Jonas, and Victorious, Vanderpump Rules would be a piece of cake. But from the very first season, Vanderpump Rules pit Scheana against her fellow cast members. Barbs were thrown, friendships dissolved, and Scheana was left in the rubble trying to parse fact from fiction. On camera, she got used to being called every name in the book, from homewrecker to a pick-me and bad friend. But off camera, there's always been a different side of Scheana, pieces of her she couldn't share on screen or that were trimmed out of tidy forty-minute television episodes. In My Good Side, Scheana pulls back the layers of who she really is and shares all sides of her—the good, bad, and messy—bringing readers on a wild nostalgia trip through the early days of Vanderpump Rules, while recounting jaw-dropping stories from her Hollywood black book, including setting the record straight on her relationship with Eddie Cibrian. She reveals how her outlook on love has evolved and led her to a daughter she was told she may never have. From being bullied as a kid to being bullied by the Witches of WeHo, Scheana has seen it all, and together she and her fans can laugh, cry, and reminisce on all the drama, heartbreak, and celebrations over the years.
JFK: Public, Private, Secret
by J. Randy TaraborrelliTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNAMED ONE OF AMAZON EDITORS' BEST BOOKS OF JULYFrom the New York Times bestselling Kennedy historian and author of Jackie: Public, Private, Secret comes the other side of the story—her husband’s: JFK: Public, Private, Secret. In this definitive portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy—one of America’s most consequential and enigmatic presidents—J. Randy Taraborrelli delivers a deeply researched and authoritative biography. More than the story of a presidency, this is an intimate study of a man whose public triumphs were shaped—and at times overshadowed—by the complex realities of his private life, from his legendary family to his marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy. Drawing from hundreds of interviews conducted over twenty-five years—as well as candid, first-hand oral histories from the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library, rare internal reports from the Secret Service, detailed files from the National Archives, and intelligence documents from both the CIA and FBI. This is JFK as never before captured by history: brilliant yet fallible, revered yet human—a figure whose legacy continues to shape America and the world. Groundbreaking Revelations Include:• A marriage defined by both devotion and distance—and Jackie’s quiet but firm rules regarding her husband’s infidelities. • The romance that posed a potential national security risk—JFK’s deep connection with Inga Arvad, a woman he considered his great love, brought to an abrupt end due to FBI concerns over her ties to Nazi intelligence. • The long-awaited truth about Marilyn Monroe—uncovered at last through the firsthand account of one of her closest confidantes, shattering decades of speculation and exposing the reality of her deeply complicated connection to JFK. • The woman who might have changed history—Joan Lundberg, the mistress JFK turned to during the darkest time in his marriage, whose clandestine relationship with him threatened to derail his entire political career. • The Mafia’s role in his rise to power—a definitive account that separates fact from fiction and lays bare the extent of organized crime’s involvement in JFK’s election. • A presidency tested by betrayal and crisis—why JFK felt undermined by his own cabinet during the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and how he ultimately seized control of his administration during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The JFK presented in Taraborrelli’s definitive biography is a complex and endlessly fascinating historical figure—despite, and perhaps even because of, his many flaws.
The Mission
by Tim Weiner"No one has opened up the CIA to us like Weiner has, and The Mission deserves to win Weiner a second Pulitzer." —The GuardianA masterpiece of reporting based on-the-record interviews with six former CIA directors, the top spymaster, thirteen station chiefs, and scores of top operations officers: The Mission is a gripping and revelatory history of the modern CIA, reaching from 9/11 through its covert operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to today’s secret battles with Russia and China, concluding with the Agency's own fight for survival under the current president of the United States Tim Weiner's epic successor to Legacy of Ashes, his National Book Award–winning classic about the CIA's first sixty yearsAt the turn of the century, the Central Intelligence Agency was in crisis. The end of the Cold War had robbed the agency of its mission. More than thirty overseas stations and bases had been shuttered, and scores that remained had been severely cut back. Many countries where surveillance was once deemed crucial went uncovered. Essential intelligence wasn’t being collected. At the dawn of the information age, the CIA’s officers and analysts worked with outmoded technology, struggling to distinguish the clear signals of significant facts from the cacophony of background noise.Then came September 11th, 2001. After the attacks, the CIA transformed itself into a lethal paramilitary force, running secret prisons and brutal interrogations, mounting deadly drone attacks, and all but abandoning its core missions of espionage and counterespionage. The consequences were grave: the deaths of scores of its recruited foreign agents, the theft of its personnel files by Chinese spies, the penetration of its computer networks by Russian intelligence and American hackers, and the tragedies of Afghanistan and Iraq. A new generation of spies now must fight the hardest targets—Moscow, Beijing, Tehran—while confronting a president who has attacked the CIA as a subversive force. From Pulitzer Prize winner Tim Weiner, The Mission tells the gripping, high-stakes story of the CIA through the first quarter of the twenty-first century, revealing how the agency fought to rebuild the espionage powers it lost during the war on terror—and finally succeeded in penetrating the Kremlin. The struggle has life-and-death consequences for America and its allies. The CIA must reclaim its original mission: know thy enemies. The fate of the free world hangs in the balance. A masterpiece of reporting, The Mission includes exclusive on-the-record interviews with six former CIA directors, the top spymaster, thirteen station chiefs, and scores of top operations officers who served undercover for decades and have never spoken to a journalist before.
Algospeak
by Adam AleksicFrom linguist Adam Aleksic, known as @etymologynerd on social media, comes a captivating exploration of how internet algorithms are transforming language and communication in unprecedented ways. &“Packed with fascinating facts, of-the-moment observations, and a sparkling voice, Algospeak is a gift to any word nerd. Deftly covering everything from emoji etymologies and trendbait to Taylor Swift fanilects... Adam Aleksic is the wise, yet accessible internet linguistics oracle we need.&”—Amanda Montell, author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and CultishFrom &“brainrot&” memes and incel slang to the trend of adding &“-core&” to different influencer aesthetics, the internet has ushered in an unprecedented linguistic upheaval. We&’re entering an entirely new era of etymology, heralded by the invisible forces driving social media algorithms. Thankfully, Algospeak is here to explain. As a professional linguist, Adam Aleksic understands the gravity of language and the way we use it: he knows the ways it has morphed and changed, how it reflects society, and how, in its everyday usage, we carry centuries of human history on our tongues. As a social media influencer, Aleksic is also intimately familiar with the internet&’s reach and how social media impacts the way we engage with one another. New slang emerges and goes viral overnight. Accents are shaped or erased on YouTube. Grammatical rules, loopholes, and patterns surface and transform language as we know it. Our interactions, social norms, and habits—both online and in person—shift into something completely different.As Aleksic uses original surveys, data, and internet archival research to usher us through this new linguistic landscape, he also illuminates how communication is changing in both familiar and unexpected ways. From our use of emojis to sentence structure to the ways younger generations talk about sex and death (see unalive in English and desvivirse in Spanish), we are in a brand-new world, one shaped by algorithms and technology. Algospeak is an energetic, astonishing journey into language, the internet, and what this intersection means for all of us.
The Idaho Four
by James Patterson and Vicky WardYou&’ve watched the Prime documentary, One Night in Idaho, now read the &“clearest profile yet of the twisted quadruple killer and his motives&” (New York Post). The murders of four innocent college students attending the University of Idaho left us all with so many questions. Now, after more than 300 interviews, James Patterson and prize-winning journalist Vicky Ward finally have the answers. We know what it was like to live in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022, the day of the cold-blooded killings. We know what the local police and FBI did right. And what they did wrong. We&’ve learned so much about the four heartbroken families—the Mogens, Goncalveses, Kernodles, and Chapins. And we have the backstory for Bryan Kohberger, brilliant grad student, loner, apparent incel. Now you are the jury. The evidence is in.Based on hundreds of exclusive interviews, this is the definitive account of the murders of four unforgettable college students by a cold-blooded killer.
A Marriage at Sea
by Sophie Elmhirst&“Gird your loins and line up your couple&’s therapist.&” – New York Times Book Review podcast&“This is nonfiction that reads like fiction – the best kind. Elmhirst&’s retelling is a triumph, second only to the seemingly impossible feat of Maurice and Maralyn themselves. You won&’t be able to put it down.&” – USA Today&“Such an emotionally vivid portrait of a couple in isolation that I was shocked it wasn&’t fiction. How could a writer get so deeply into the minds of two real people in such extraordinary circumstances? … So brilliantly depicted.&” – Elle, Best Books of Summer&“A beautiful meditation on endurance, codependence, and the power of love. A dazzling book.&” – Patrick Radden Keefe&“An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit.&” —Bill BrysonThe electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at sea: a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits.Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He&’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she&’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream – as we all dream – of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away?Most of us begin and end with the daydream. But in June 1972, Maurice and Maralyn set sail. For nearly a year all went well, until deep in the Pacific, a breaching whale knocked a hole in their boat and it sank beneath the waves.What ensues is a jaw-dropping fight to survive in the wild ocean, with little hope of rescue. Alone together for months in a tiny rubber raft, starving and exhausted, Maurice and Maralyn have to find not only ways to stay alive but ways to get along, as their inner demons emerge and their marriage is put to the greatest of tests. Although they could run away from the world, they can&’t run away from themselves.Taut, propulsive, and dazzling, A Marriage at Sea pairs an adrenaline-fueled high seas adventure with a gutting love story that asks why we love difficult people, and who we become under the most extreme conditions imaginable.
2024
by Isaac Arnsdorf and Josh Dawsey and Tyler PagerIn 2024, award-winning reporters Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf bring us the definitive, inside story of the most tumultuous and consequential presidential campaign in our history."An immersive and philosophical tour of an election whose outcome, [the authors] argue, was anything but inevitable.&” —The New York Times&“The whole world was against me, and I won,&” said Donald Trump in an exclusive interview, ten days before his second inauguration. Nearly four years after Trump&’s first turbulent presidency concluded in a violent attempt to overturn the election, he made a political comeback on a scale that stunned the nation. How did the first U.S. president to become a convicted felon regain control of the White House? And at what cost? 2024 is the explosive account of how Trump and his advisers overcame a dozen primary challengers, four indictments, two assassination attempts, and his own past mistakes to defeat the Democrats, and pave the way for a second term that would be far more aggressive and ruthless than the first.Drawing on extraordinary access to the Trump, Biden, and Harris teams, 2024 takes readers beyond the speeches, rallies, and debates to reveal the innermost workings of the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns. Beginning in August 2022 with the FBI&’s search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents, and Trump&’s subsequent decision to run once again for president, Dawsey, Pager, and Arnsdorf chart how Trump stifled the rise of Republican opponents, including Ron DeSantis, and how his campaign, led by Susie Wiles, landed on a winning strategy. They reveal in unrivaled detail how Joe Biden and his team brushed off concerns about his age, ignored polling numbers, and held off the next generation of eager Democratic hopefuls—even as Biden was dealing with his own special counsel investigation and the trial of his son Hunter. After his disastrous debate performance forced him to withdraw, Biden anointed Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate and tasked her with running the shortest presidential campaign in modern U.S. history. With only 107 days to distinguish herself from the past four years, Harris lacked the time or space to outrun Biden&’s shadow—a challenge in and of itself, but one which Biden would make even more difficult. On November 5th, 2024, Trump was elected the nation&’s forty-seventh president, and would return to power vindicated, emboldened, unrestrained, and burning for revenge.Gripping, revelatory, and deeply reported, 2024 is the shocking inside story of the election that tested American democracy and would go on to shape the future of the free world.
On Her Game
by Christine BrennanA news-making and electrifying portrait of sports phenomenon Caitlin Clark, whose dramatic ascendance in college basketball and now in the WNBA has captured the attention of media and fans unlike any other female team-sport athlete in history—by award-winning USA TODAY columnist and television commentator Christine Brennan.America has never seen an athlete quite like Caitlin Clark. Attracting record-shattering attendance and TV ratings, she has riveted the nation with her famous logo threes and thrilling passes and changed how fans across the country view women&’s sports. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting, veteran journalist Christine Brennan narrates Clark&’s rise—including the formative experiences that led to her scoring more points than any woman or man in major college basketball history—and delivers fascinating new details about Clark&’s Olympic snub by USA Basketball, the safety concerns around her that led to charter flights for all players, the WNBA&’s lack of preparation for heightened national scrutiny, and troubling outbreaks of jealousy and resentment as a white player became the top story in a predominantly Black league. The 2024 season was a watershed. Always taking the high road in the face of criticism, Clark proceeded to write herself into WNBA record books as one of the league&’s most talented rookies ever. And her winning persona—on full display whether surrounded by children begging for autographs or reporters hanging on her every word—made Clark such a fan favorite that increasingly larger arenas needed to be found to accommodate the hordes who traveled hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to watch her play. Clark arrived as a sports and cultural icon a little more than fifty years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports in America. On Her Game is a sports story, certainly, but it&’s also the story of a nation falling in love with what it has created because of that law—millions of new athletes, led by the magical Caitlin Clark.
Butler
by Salena Zito"Salena Zito…. She understands you people and me better than we do.&” -- President Donald J. Trump&“You're going to learn things in this book. Beautifully written. Story after story after story." -- Mark LevinFrom the acclaimed journalist standing only a few feet away from the stage when the gunshots began is this gripping first-hand account of the near assassination of Donald Trump – and the inside story of Trump&’s heartland-fueled victory. That day in Butler, had the wind gusted less, had Trump&’s head turned in a slightly different direction, or had the adrenaline-fueled heart of the shooter beat slower, America would have been plunged into chaos, possibly even civil war. As a local reporter with deep ties to the area, Salena Zito had been invited by the president to interview him at the Butler Farm Show Grounds. She was standing only four feet away from the presidential podium when the bullets started to fly. A campaign staffer tackled her to the ground. Throughout it all, Salena never stopped reporting. She spoke by phone to Trump several times in the immediate aftermath and was granted access to community members, rally participants, family members and local law enforcement officials. &“I rarely look away from the crowd,&” Trump told her in one of several of those conversations. &“Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?&” Known for her on-the-ground reporting on populism and rural America, Salena zooms out to tell the fascinating story of the battle for America&’s heartland and the issues that actually motivate voters. To understand how and why Trump won the 2024 election, you have to understand places like Butler. Big cities like Los Angeles, New York and D.C. don&’t decide who wins election cycles, but people in places like Butler, Pennsylvania sure do. President Trump gave the author extraordinary access for this book, including to his top aides, to his running mate JD Vance, to billionaire supporter Elon Musk, and even his security detail. There are moments that define America. The late afternoon hours of July 13, 2024 was one of them. This book is a narrative of that fateful day, the people of the heartland and the untold story of how the president found his way back into the heart of the electorate.
They're Coming for You
by Jason ChaffetzTrump may be in office, but the Democrats have laid the groundwork for permanent power.
While the Biden-Harris administration publicly stumbled and flailed, their bureaucrats and allies outside of government have been turning Republican nightmares into dystopian realities. Censoring the truth tellers. Debanking the politically disfavored. Firing the vaccine hesitant. Excluding the white, Christian, and conservative job applicants. Who needs a deep state when academia, big banks, corporations, and the healthcare system are willing to do what the deep state can’t?
Now that they’re out of power in the White House and Congress, the Democrats are mobilizing in the shadows, working to make sure an election like 2024 never happens again. In They’re Coming for You, Jason Chaffetz reveals how Democrats have been planting the seeds of political control using unelected institutions that collect and weaponize private information. Most of us know we have traded our privacy for convenience. Most of us have chosen not to worry that the government will track our Facebook posts and arrest us. But what if an online retailer does? What if companies use that data to refuse to hire us, do business with us, or ship products to us?
They’re Coming for You lays bare the frightening truth about how these institutions are collecting, buying, selling, and sharing our data without regard for our privacy, civil liberties, or national security. Republican political victories will ring hollow until this bureaucratic partnership with the nonprofit and private sectors is exposed and the power of the administrative state checked.
New York Times Bestseller
Loud and Clear
by Brian AndersonTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe first book to tell the full story of the Grateful Dead’s “Wall of Sound,” an unprecedented and since unparalleled speaker system.Loud and Clear is the first book to tell the full story of the Grateful Dead’s “Wall of Sound,” an unprecedented and since unparalleled speaker system that was as tall as a school bus is long and more than a hundred feet wide. The band’s quest for roaring yet crystal clear sound began after their formation in 1965, colliding with the ‘60s progressive social climate.Over the next few years, the Dead’s growing crew of sound-obsessed techies and eccentric roadies took their speaker system to new technological heights. But as the Dead’s relentless, drug-fueled touring schedule met this increasingly burdensome yet sonically perfect machine, in 1974, the Wall brought the band to its knees. The two years of “Wall shows” are legend among Deadheads, and this character-driven tale about human ambition, achievement, and the limits of both on a larger-than-life scale has the potential to reach a wide range of music fans and readers of cultural history.Author Brian Anderson interviewed hundreds of people associated with the band and the construction of the Wall itself, including band members, roadies, tech wizards, fans and many more. This fascinating inside story of one of the most legendary rock bands of all time will appeal to Deadheads, music fans, audiophiles and many more.
We Might Just Make It After All
by Elyce AronsNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A moving portrait of friendship by Elyce Arons as she reflects on her long relationship with Kate Spade, whom she met in college and with whom she cofounded the multi-billion-dollar fashion company as they came of age in 1990s New York.When Elyce Arons first met Katy Brosnahan in a University of Kansas dorm room, she had no idea that this polo shirt–wearing Missouri girl would not only become her best friend but also change the course of her life. Back then, Katy and Elyce were preoccupied with frat parties and The Mary Tyler Moore Show; within a decade, they&’d be scraping by in New York City, working day jobs to spend nights building a new line of handbags that would one day revolutionize the accessories industry. We Might Just Make It After All brings us on the rollercoaster of adventures (and misadventures) that the best friends embarked on, from transferring colleges on a whim, to falling in and out of love with suitors, cramming into roach-infested Hell&’s Kitchen apartments, and eventually designing the chic, simple bag that would launch the pair to global fame. Through it all, Katy and Elyce&’s friendship remained unshakeable. This powerful friendship lasted nearly forty years, until Katy&’s tragic suicide in 2018. We Might Just Make It After All celebrates her legacy as a cultural icon and loyal friend. Set against the glitzy and gritty backdrop of downtown New York at the turn of the century, We Might Just Make It After All lovingly and candidly explores the power of a friendship as close as sisterhood, the challenges facing women entrepreneurs in the 1990s, and the timeless elegance of a generation-defining brand.
Behind the Badge
by Johnny Joey JonesFirst responders run toward things the rest of us run away from. What makes a person want to become a first responder? Who would become a cop after her brother died in the line of duty? What guy rejects joining a lucrative family business to become a local firefighter instead? Why would a Mexican American combat veteran choose to work as a medic for the Border Patrol, knowing the stigma he’d face?
One thing all these people have in common is that none of them wants to be called a hero. First responders keep going to work every day, even though that means confronting the worst situations imaginable. Their inspiring and unique stories are almost always overlooked when it comes to patriotic recognition of service and sacrifice.
As in his New York Times bestselling book Unbroken Bonds of Battle, retired Marine Johnny Joey Jones didn’t have to look further than his closest family and friends to find frontline defenders—some he’s known since childhood, some he served with, and others have become friends and mentors. With vivid storytelling, Jones brings to life dramatic rescues, heart-wrenching losses, and awe-inspiring acts of courage. He delves deep into what drives these brave men and women, offering an intimate look at their personal and professional lives.
Behind the Badge will leave you moved, inspired, and reminded of the true meaning of heroism—because these first responders are hometown heroes at heart. New York Times Bestseller
Lincoln's Lady Spymaster
by Gerri WillisIn this gripping Civil War history, Fox Business's Gerri Willis charts the making of a spymaster genius.
Wealthy Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew had it all. Money, charm, wit—the most elegant mansion in Richmond. So why risk everything to become a Union spy? The answer was simple: freedom.
Right in the heart of the Confederate capital, Elizabeth played the society lady while building a secret espionage network of slaves, Unionists, and prisoners of war. It would cost her almost everything. Flouting society’s expectations for women, Elizabeth infiltrated prisons and defied public opinion. Her story is filled with vivid personalities, including: Assassin John Wilkes Booth; Washington socialite and Southern spy Rose Greenhow; Prison escape artist Thomas Rose; Cavalry hero Ulrich Dahlgren; Cross-dressing intelligence agent Frank Stringfellow.
From grave robbery to a bold voyage across enemy lines, Elizabeth’s escapades only grew more daring. But it paid off. By the war’s end, she had agents in both the Confederate War Department and the Richmond White House, and her couriers provided General Ulysses S. Grant with crucial, daily intelligence for his final assault. With extensive and fresh research, Gerri Willis uncovers the Southern abolitionist heroine that the Lost Cause buried—an unbelievable tale of one woman’s courage, resistance, and liberation. Heartfelt, thrilling, and inspiring, Lincoln’s Lady Spymaster restores a forgotten hero to her rightful place as an American icon. New York Times Bestseller
The Disenlightenment
by David MametOne of America's greatest living literary legends invites you think for yourself in this compelling narrative of manipulation, power, and the human condition. "Government, like Circe, turns men into swine," David Mamet writes in his latest political tour de force. Prepare to be challenged, enlightened, and entertained by The Disenlightenment as Mamet dissects the modern world with enthusiasm, wisdom, and lots of references to movies about the mafia.
Once a stalwart of liberal thought, Mamet now turns his penetrating gaze on the cultural milieu that nurtured his artistic growth, revealing how America's elites have twisted our institutions into tools of manipulation. With his one-of-a-kind wit, he exposes the intricate dance between power and myth, unmasking how the elites manipulate media and culture to maintain control.
The Disenlightenment fearlessly tackles topics from war to love, success to death, offering a fresh perspective on the human condition. His observations, ranging from the carnival-like nature of politics to the power of language, reflect a society where traditional values are under siege. This book is an opportunity to engage with one of the most provocative and insightful writers of the modern era. Whether you're a long-time Mamet aficionado or new to his work, The Disenlightenment promises to challenge your perceptions, stimulate your mind, and perhaps change how you view the world. New York Times Bestseller
How to Lose Your Mother
by Molly Jong-FastInstant New York Times Bestseller &“With propulsive humor and perspective on her annus horribilis, Jong-Fast achieves the memoir&’s transformative work of alchemy, arming us all with lines so good you won&’t just want to underline them, you will want to cut them out to share.&” —The Washington Post &“This raw, intimate memoir is a stunning portrait of difficult relationships and how we survive them.&” —People &“Molly Jong-Fast&’s memoir is mesmerizing, intimate, wise, unputdownable, crazily honest, heartbreaking, funny, illuminating—beautiful and painful at the same time, just like real life.&” —Anne Lamott From the political writer and podcaster, a ferociously honest and disarmingly funny memoir about her elusive mother&’s encroaching dementia and a reckoning with her complicated childhoodMolly Jong-Fast is the only child of a famous woman, writer Erica Jong, whose sensational book Fear of Flying launched her into second-wave feminist stardom. She grew up yearning for a connection with her dreamy, glamorous, just out of reach mother, who always seemed to be heading somewhere that wasn&’t with Molly. When, in 2023, Erica was diagnosed with dementia just as Molly&’s husband discovered he had a rare cancer, Jong-Fast was catapulted into a transformative year.How to Lose Your Mother is a compulsively readable memoir about an intense mother–daughter relationship, a sometimes chaotic upbringing with a fame-hungry parent, and the upheavals that challenge our hard-won adulthood. A pitch-perfect balance of acceptance and rage, humor and heart, How to Lose Your Mother tells a universal story of loss alongside a singular story of a literary life. This is a memoir that will stand alongside the classics of the genre.
Free Ride
by Noraly SchoenmakerBy the YouTube sensation with nearly three million followers, the inspiring account of a young woman who, in a moment of personal crisis, embarked on an epic, transcontinental motorcycle ride—and along the way found a new sense of purpose.
Noraly Schoenmaker was a thirtysomething geologist living in the Netherlands when she learned that her live-in partner had been having a long-term affair. In desperate need of a new beginning, she decided to quit her job and jet off to India. But her plans were dashed when she fell quickly and helplessly in love: with a motorcycle. Behind the handlebars, she felt alive and free—nimble enough to trace the narrowest paths, powerful enough to travel the longest of roads.
First, she set off toward the Pacific, through the jungles of Myanmar and Thailand, then into Malaysia. Rather than satisfy her appetite for the open road, this ride only piqued it. She shipped her bike to Oman, at the base of the Arabian Peninsula, and embarked on a journey through Iran, across Tajikistan along its border with Afghanistan, over the snowy peaks of Central Asia, and into Europe, all the way back home to the Netherlands. She covered remote and utterly unfamiliar territory, broke down on impossibly steep mountains, and pushed too many miles along empty roads, farther and farther from civilization. But through her travels, she discovered the true beauty of the world, the kindness of its people, the simplicity of its open spaces, and a new and unshakable belief in her capabilities.
Free Ride is an inspiring story of self-discovery and renewal. Filled with unforgettable figures, hilarious disasters, and powerful human connections, it shows you what happens when you open your heart and let the world in. New York Times Bestseller
Trump’s Triumph
by Newt Gingrich#1 New York Times bestselling author Newt Gingrich takes readers inside the most significant political comeback in American history and explains where the Trump movement goes from here in this "very, very important book" (Mark Levin).
Despite a nine-year effort to destroy him, President Donald J. Trump succeeded in a historic comeback victory in the 2024 presidential election. This was Trump’s Triumph. Winning the popular and electoral votes, President Trump became the first president to be nonconsecutively re-elected since President Grover Cleveland. This all happened because President Trump was never a typical political candidate. He is the leader of a movement, which he recognized in the American people. To be clear: President Trump did not invent the Make America Great Again movement, he intuited it. Meanwhile, elites in media, academia, government, and politics learned a big lesson: Americans no longer trust them. President Trump assembled a massive coalition of Americans from all backgrounds who were tired of being told what to do, say, and believe. He made historic in-roads with voter groups which have not traditionally voted for Republicans. President Trump survived court cases, impeachments, outright lies – and two assassination attempts. All the while, the elites described a future which every day Americans did not want. The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris (and later Harris-Tim Walz) tickets represented three failures through which the American people were actively suffering: high inflation, a full-blown immigration crisis, and a prevailing elite ideology which they found at best confusing and at worst insane. Trump’s Triumph puts all this into context, explains how President Trump overcame it all, and describes the future of the Make America Great Again movement. New York Times Bestseller
A Different Kind of Power
by Jacinda ArdernFrom the former prime minister of New Zealand, then the world’s youngest female head of government and just the second to give birth in office, comes a deeply personal memoir chronicling her extraordinary rise and offering inspiration to a new generation of leaders.
“Ardern’s insightful and inspiring memoir challenges old definitions of strength and power by emphasizing the urgency of compassion and kindness.”—Melinda French Gates, author of The Moment of Lift.
What if we could redefine leadership? What if kindness came first? Jacinda Ardern grew up the daughter of a police officer in small-town New Zealand, but as the 40th Prime Minister of her country, she commanded global respect for her empathetic leadership that put people first. This is the remarkable story of how a Mormon girl plagued by self-doubt made political history and changed our assumptions of what a global leader can be.
When Jacinda Ardern became Prime Minister at age thirty-seven, the world took notice. But it was her compassionate yet powerful response to the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, resulting in swift and sweeping gun control laws, that demonstrated her remarkable leadership.
She guided her country through unprecedented challenges—a volcanic eruption, a major biosecurity breach, and a global pandemic—while advancing visionary new policies to address climate change, reduce child poverty, and secure historic international trade deals. She did all this while juggling first-time motherhood in the public eye.
Ardern exemplifies a new kind of leadership—proving that leaders can be caring, empathetic, and effective. She has become a global icon, and now she is ready to share her story, from the struggles to the surprises, including for the first time the full details of her decision to step down during her sixth year as Prime Minister. Through her personal experiences and reflections, Jacinda is a model for anyone who has ever doubted themselves, or has aspired to lead with compassion, conviction, and courage. A Different Kind of Power is more than a political memoir; it’s an insight into how it feels to lead, ultimately asking: What if you, too, are capable of more than you ever imagined? New York Times Bestseller
This Dog Will Change Your Life
by Elias Weiss FriedmanA uniquely insightful, uplifting, emotional, and informative book that shows us how dogs make our lives better by making us better people from the Dogist.
Elias Weiss Friedman became known as The Dogist when he took thousands of photos of dogs and posted them online along with their unique dog stories. Even before he was The Dogist, though, he was a Dogist—a fervent dog lover, and an evangelist about the relationship between dogs and humans and the joy this bond brings us in the modern world. Over his decades of studying dogs and their people, Elias has arrived at a deceptively simple realization: Dogs make people’s lives better by making people better. Dogs improve us. They save us. They give our lives greater meaning and fulfillment. They teach us to become the best versions of ourselves. They help us understand our own identities, deepen our relationships, and remind us of patience, purpose, and commitment. We constantly seek those things in our human life, but so many of the answers are already right in front of us, in our dogs.
This book weaves together stories of the many dogs Elias has been lucky enough to know, both in his personal life and while doing his Dogist work. Told in a light tone that does not shy away from more serious issues (Elias is not above the occasional sentimental moment or dog pun), this book charmingly explores the ways that dogs are not just our family and our friends but also irreplaceable beings capable of generating boundless love and restoring balance to our lives. In an increasingly alienating and divisive world, there is one clear remedy: the one with four legs that rolls over for belly rubs. Dogs can change our lives, and this book might just change yours. New York Times Bestseller
How Countries Go Broke
by Ray Dalio#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER &“Advance copies of Ray Dalio&’s new book about how countries go broke have become a hot read in Washington.&” —The New York Times &“This book is a gift to humanity….Ray provides a solution to what is the biggest and most certain threat to our prosperity.&” —Henry M. Paulson Jr. &“An invaluable resource for policymakers, investors, and citizens.&” —Lawrence H. Summers An urgent warning about the American economy from Ray Dalio, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Principles. Do big government debts threaten our collective well-being? Are there limits to debt growth? Can a big, important reserve currency country like the United States really go broke—and what would that look like? For decades, politicians, policymakers, and investors have debated these questions, but the answers have eluded them. In this groundbreaking book, Ray Dalio, one of the greatest investors of our time who anticipated the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2010–12 European debt crisis, shares for the first time his detailed explanation of what he calls the &“Big Debt Cycle.&” Understanding this cycle is critical for helping policymakers, investors, and the general public grasp where we are and where we are headed with the debt issue. Dalio&’s model points toward surprisingly straightforward solutions for dealing with the debt problems that the US, Europe, Japan, and China face today. How Countries Go Broke also shows how these debt problems are related to the other forces—political within countries, geopolitical between countries, natural (droughts, floods, and pandemics), and technological (most importantly, AI)—that together are causing what Dalio calls the &“Overall Big Cycle&” changes in the world order. By reading this book, you will improve your understanding of what&’s happening now and what to do about it.
Empire of AI
by Karen HaoAn Instant New York Times Bestseller&“Excellent and deeply reported.&” —Tim Wu, The New York Times&“Startling and intensely researched . . . an essential account of how OpenAI and ChatGPT came to be and the catastrophic places they will likely take us.&” —Vulture&“Hao&’s reporting inside OpenAI is exceptional, and she&’s persuasive in her argument that the public should focus less on A.I.&’s putative &‘sentience&’ and more on its implications for labor and the environment.&” —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New YorkerFrom a brilliant longtime AI insider with intimate access to the world of Sam Altman's OpenAI from the beginning, an eye-opening account of arguably the most fateful tech arms race in history, reshaping the planet in real time, from the cockpit of the company that is driving the frenzyWhen AI expert and investigative journalist Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI in 2019, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined as its core mission, the organization was meant, its leader Sam Altman told us, to act as a check against more purely mercantile, and potentially dangerous, forces. What could go wrong?Over time, Hao began to wrestle ever more deeply with that question. Increasingly, she realized that the core truth of this massively disruptive sector is that its vision of success requires an almost unprecedented amount of resources: the &“compute&” power of high-end chips and the processing capacity to create massive large language models, the sheer volume of data that needs to be amassed at scale, the humans &“cleaning up&” that data for sweatshop wages throughout the Global South, and a truly alarming spike in the usage of energy and water underlying it all. The truth is that we have entered a new and ominous age of empire: only a small handful of globally scaled companies can even enter the field of play. At the head of the pack with its ChatGPT breakthrough, how would OpenAI resist such temptations?Spoiler alert: it didn&’t. Armed with Microsoft&’s billions, OpenAI is setting a breakneck pace, chased by a small group of the most valuable companies in human history—toward what end, not even they can define. All this time, Hao has maintained her deep sourcing within the company and the industry, and so she was in intimate contact with the story that shocked the entire tech industry—Altman&’s sudden firing and triumphant return. The behind-the-scenes story of what happened, told here in full for the first time, is revelatory of who the people controlling this technology really are. But this isn&’t just the story of a single company, however fascinating it is. The g forces pressing down on the people of OpenAI are deforming the judgment of everyone else too—as such forces do. Naked power finds the ideology to cloak itself; no one thinks they&’re the bad guy. But in the meantime, as Hao shows through intrepid reporting on the ground around the world, the enormous wheels of extraction grind on. By drawing on the viewpoints of Silicon Valley engineers, Kenyan data laborers, and Chilean water activists, Hao presents the fullest picture of AI and its impact we&’ve seen to date, alongside a trenchant analysis of where things are headed. An astonishing eyewitness view from both up in the command capsule of the new economy and down where the real suffering happens, Empire of AI pierces the veil of the industry defining our era.