Economist Andrew Leigh presents a dramatically new understanding of human history. Spanning ancient times to the current day, he reveals the hidden economic factors that have shaped every aspect of our world, from determining the outcomes of wars to the endurance of social transformations.

Let the Awkward Conversations Begin! Adaeze and Chad--two different people, two different backgrounds--both brought a lot of baggage into their relationship. Adaeze, a Black Nigerian American woman who has lived with racism and discrimination her entire life. Chad, a white man with a family from the South who mostly grew up in white spaces. Determined to learn to communicate honestly and effectively, they stepped into tough conversations about their differences. Walls came down and Adaeze and Chad discovered the trust and respect they could have in and for each other. White Boy/Black Girl is an open-handed invitation from Adaeze and Chad to learn: Why trying to be the “perfect” Black or white person can't be the goal -- How to attempt to get it right when you're terrified of getting it wrong -- What to do when you're feeling uncomfortable, defensive, or misunderstood -- That repair is possible even when you've flat-out stepped in it -- The importance of surrendering our pain and prejudice to the redemptive work of Jesus. Adaeze and Chad provide a safe space for us to eavesdrop on some of the most vulnerable conversations they've had about their differences. Their candid and honest back and forth gives us common, usable language to meet each other where we're at. The path to empathy and understanding isn't easy--but they promise you, it's always worth it.

"Despite real progress, women continue to be silenced, wounded, and relegated to the sidelines in our churches. But we can learn to do better. Exploring the history and culture of sexism in our contemporary evangelical world, Heather Matthews offers simple, practical steps for how Christians can actively fight sexism in its many forms"-- Provided by publisher.

"A theological and historical exploration of the connection between Islam and Judaism through the single most-mentioned character in the Quran: Moses. There is one human mentioned in the Quran more than any other: Moses. Why is it that the Jewish prophet dominates the Islamic scripture? Because he is the role model for Muhammad, Islam's own prophet. Because Islam, just like Christianity, is deeply intertwined with Judaism -- although surprisingly little attention has been given to this fascinating connection between the two religions. Author and journalist Mustafa Akyol takes readers on a theological and historical walk through that much-neglected side of the Abrahamic triangle: the Judeo-Islamic tradition. Using Moses' presence in the Quran as a jumping-off point, Akyol explores the first historical encounter between Muslims and Jews, the creative symbiosis and mutual enrichment that occurred between the two belief systems in medieval times, and the modern emergence, development, and perception of the two religions. At a time of bitter conflict in the Middle East, The Islamic Moses dives into the older, deeper, and often unexpectedly brighter story of Jews and Muslims. Readers of any background will be surprised by the common historical and theological ground that exists between the two religions, and will come away with a better understanding of both." Publisher's website.

"Determined to pursue his passion for undercover work wherever it leads, Ron Stallworth finally lands in Salt Lake City, Utah. Once again, he's an outsider-not only as a Black man on a mostly white police force but also as an unapologetic nonbeliever in a state dominated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. But soon after his first drug bust in the Beehive, Stallworth makes a startling discovery-Bloods and Crips are infiltrating Mormon Country, threatening to turn the deeply conservative community into a hotbed of crime. Kids are bombing homes while carrying pocket versions of the Book of Mormon, yet his fellow cops are in denial that gangs are wreaking havoc in their Christian town. Now Stallworth has a new mission. Whether facing off with skinheads at a downtown bar or schooling white Crips blasting "F*ck tha Police," he is intent on stemming the tide of gangs into the state. But those he expected to be his allies either have their heads in the sand or their own agendas-from the racist Mormon legislator to the community activist exploiting a fatal gang incident to spread paranoia over an imaginary race war. As he butts heads with these so-called leaders, Stallworth also realizes that gangsta rap has the key to the g-code. He becomes obsessed with-even defensive of-the music he once loathed and puts himself on the front lines of America's culture war. Now he's spitting uncensored lyrics before Congress and taking the stand in the 1993 murder case that puts hip-hop on trial. But the more Stallworth speaks truth to power, the more determined the gatekeepers in Utah are to silence him, and not even twenty-three years of police work could prepare him for how low they would stoop"-- Provided by publisher.

"On May 4, 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, political fires that had been burning across America during the 1960s exploded. Antiwar protesters wearing bell-bottom jeans and long hair hurled taunts and rocks at another group of young Americans--National Guardsmen sporting gas masks and rifles. At half past noon, violence unfolded with chaotic speed, as guardsmen--many of whom had joined the guard to escape the draft--opened fire on the students. Two reductive narratives ensued: one, that lethal state violence targeted Americans who spoke their minds; the other, that law enforcement gave troublemakers the comeuppance they deserved. For over fifty years, little middle ground has been found due to incomplete and sometimes contradictory evidence. Kent State meticulously re-creates the divided cultural landscape of America during the Vietnam War and heightened popular anxieties around the country. On college campuses, teach-ins, sit-down strikes, and demonstrations exposed the growing rift between the left and the right. Many students opposed the war as unnecessary and unjust and were uneasy over poor and working-class kids drafted and sent to Vietnam in their place. Some developed a hatred for the military, the police, and everything associated with authority, while others resolved to uphold law and order at any cost. Focusing on the thirteen victims of the Kent State shooting and a painstaking reconstruction of the days surrounding it, historian Brian VanDeMark draws on crucial new research and interviews--including, for the first time, the perspective of guardsmen who were there. The result is a complete reckoning with the tragedy that marked the end of the sixties"-- Provided by publisher.

"Rocks are the record of our creative planet reinventing itself for four billion years. Nothing is ever lost, just transformed. Marcia Bjornerud's life as a geologist has coincided with an extraordinary period of discovery. From an insular girlhood in rural Wisconsin, she found her way to an unlikely career studying mountains in remote parts of the world. As one of few women in her field, she witnessed the shift in our understanding of the Earth, from solid object to an entity in a constant state of transformation. In the most tumultuous times of her own life, a deep understanding of our rocky planet imbued her life with meaning. The lives of rocks are long and complex, spanning billions of years and yet shaping our own human lives in powerful, invisible ways. Sandstone that filters out pathogens creating underground oases in aquifers of clean water. Ecologite is "the chosen rock" whose formation keeps the planet running. Earth is not just a passive backdrop, or a source of resources to be mined, extracted, and carved out. Rocks are full of wisdom, but somewhere along the way many of us have forgotten how to hear it. When we are uncertain about where to find truth, a geocentric worldview reminds us that we are Earthlings, part of a planetary community where we can find wisdom in the most unlikely places"-- Provided by publisher.

"An intriguing new scientific theory that explains what life is and how it emerges. What is life? This is among the most difficult open problems in science, right up there with the nature of consciousness and the existence of matter. All the definitions we have fall short. None help us understand how life originates or the full range of possibilities for what life on other planets might look like. In Life as No One Knows It, physicist and astrobiologist Sara Imari Walker argues that solving the origin of life requires radical new thinking and an experimentally testable theory for what life is. This is an urgent issue for efforts to make life from scratch in laboratories here on Earth and missions searching for life on other planets. Walker proposes a new paradigm for understanding what physics encompasses and what we recognize as life. She invites us into a world of maverick scientists working without a map, seeking not just answers but better ways to formulate the biggest questions we have about the universe. The book culminates with the bold proposal of a new theory for identifying and classifying life, one that applies not just to biological life on Earth but to any instance of life in the universe. Rigorous, accessible, and vital, Life as No One Knows It celebrates the mystery of life and the explanatory power of physics"-- Provided by publisher.

"While humans have occupied the Earth for only a small part of its history, life itself has been here for much longer--most of the planet's lifetime, and more than a quarter of the universe's time span. Life is a long-term tenant on Earth, and one that has profoundly transformed our world. What have these organisms--bacteria, animals, plants, and the rest--done in all this time? In Living on Earth, the philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith proposes a new way of understanding how the actions of living beings have shaped our planet. His ... books Other Minds and Metazoa explored the riddle of how conscious minds came to exist on Earth. Now, in Living on Earth, he turns to what happens when we look at the mind from another side--when we come to see organisms as active shapers of their environments, not merely as results of the evolutionary process. To that end, Godfrey-Smith takes us on a grand tour of the history of life on Earth"--Dust jacket flap.

"Animal communication has forever seemed intelligible. We are surrounded by animals and the cacophony of sounds that they make-from the chirping of songbirds to the growls of lions on the savanna-but we have yet to fully understand why animals communicate the way they do. What are they saying? This is only part of the mystery. To go deeper, we must also ask, what is motivating them? Why Animals Talk is an exhilarating journey through the untamed world of animal communication. Following his international bestseller, The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy, acclaimed zoologist Arik Kershenbaum draws on extensive original research to reveal how many of the animal kingdom's most seemingly confusing or untranslatable signals are in fact logical and consistent-and not that different from our own. His fascinating deep dive into this timeless subject overturns decades of conventional wisdom, inviting readers to experience for the first time communication through the minds of animals themselves. From the majestic howls of wolves and the enchanting chatter of parrots to the melodic clicks of dolphins and the spirited grunts of chimpanzees, these often strange expressions are far from mere noise. In fact, they hold secrets that we are just beginning to decipher. It's one of the oldest mysteries that has haunted Homo sapiens for hundreds of thousands of years: Are animals talking just like us, or are we the only animals on the planet to have our own language?"-- Provided by publisher.

The cooking and baking expert and beloved social media star @PreppyKitchen offers recipes that are quick and easy to make any time of day regardless of your skill level or busy schedule, along with simple instructions, streamlined ingredient lists and dozens of ideas for riffs and make-aheads.

"As Evie and Stephen explain it, Does This Taste Funny? had its beginnings in the Covid lockdown. 'We were all stuck together and couldn’t go out, so we cooked. We had all three kids back under one roof for the first time in a long time, and we had dinner each night as a family. Cooking together became a major source of entertainment.' Now, the Colberts invite us into their kitchen and around their dining room table. Sharing Stephen and Evie’s favorite recipes, as well as those of their family and friends, this book offers everything from Party Food (called 'party food' because 'appetizers' implies something to follow when we all know that, often, this is the only course), to Seafood, to Poultry and Meat ('Evie and I have different relationships to meat. I like it. Evie can take it or leave it, and mostly she leaves it.'), to Desserts ('This is one of the largest sections of the book. Evie always reminds me that desserts are a great way to postpone clearing up.'), to Drinks ('I love cocktail hour. It feels like a reward for having gone so long without a cocktail'), all tied together with playful dialogue between Stephen and Evie and gorgeous shots of their food, family, and home"-- Provided by publisher.

"The remarkable true story of the motley group of allied men and women who worked to manage Stalin's mercurial, explosive approach to diplomacy during four turbulent years of World War II ... Based on unpublished diaries, letters and secret reports, The Stalin Affair reveals troves of new material about the path to Allied victory, full of vivid scenes between celebrated and infamous World War II figures. Ultimately, it provides fascinating, richly nuanced portrait of one of history's most complicated and notorious dictators"-- Provided by publisher.

A dramatic social history of the liberation of Paris in 1944, one of the most inspiring and momentous events of the twentieth century. When the Germans marched into the City of Light in 1940--and the lamps went out--the millions who loved Paris mourned. Liberation, four yaers later, triggered an explosion of joy and relief. It was the party of the century and everybody who was anybody was there. General Charles de Gaulle seized the moment to create an instant legend that would take its place alongside the great moments in French history. After years of oppression and humiliation, Parisians had risen to reclaim their city and drive out the forces of darkness--or so the story went. This fresh new account of the liberaton, packed with revelation, tells the story of those heady days of suspense, danger, exhilaration--and vengeance--through the eyes of a range of participants, reflecting all sides of the conflict American, French, and Germans; resisters and collaborators... -- adapted from jacket

"At a time when women reporters rarely wrote front-page stories and her male colleagues saw a powerful unmarried woman as a 'freak,' Sigrid Schultz served as the Chicago Tribune's Berlin bureau chief and primary foreign correspondent for Central Europe from 1925 to January 1941. Schultz witnessed Hitler's climb to power and was one of the first reporters--male or female--to warn American readers of the growing threat of the Nazi regime in Germany. In The Dragon from Chicago, historian Pamela D. Toler draws on extensive archival research to unearth the largely forgotten story of Schultz's years courageously reporting the news from Berlin, from the revolts of 1919 through the Nazi rise to power and Allied air raids over Berlin in 1941"-- Dust jacket flap.

"Through a connected set of biographical portraits of Nazi leaders and followers that tracks power as it radiated out from Hitler to the inner and outer circles of the regime's leadership, one of our greatest historians answers the enduring question: How does a society come to carry out a program of unspeakable evil"-- Dust jacket flap.