Nonfiction

#1 New York Times Bestseller now in paperback with new material

In his book, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.

Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting the Mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush administration's policies on torture and electronic surveillance, overseeing the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies of recent history.

A jargon-free, highly visual guide to every aspect of politics, from political philosophy to 21st-century activism.

Discover everything you need to know about political history and thought, and the inner workings of governments around the world with this unique graphic guide.

Combining clear, jargon-free language and bold, eye-catching graphics, How Politics Works is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to all aspects of politics.

Covering everything from political theory to methods of government, the book presents the ideas and theories of key political philosophers, leaders, movements, and activists in a uniquely visual and easy-to-understand way. Explaining political ideas on a conceptual level, entries explore how they apply to governments, movements, and trends throughout history, along with 21st-century examples such as the Feminist movement and #BlackLivesMatter. The book also shows how political history is affected by economics, sociology, and the role of the media--an ever-relevant issue in the age of "fake news" and "cancel culture," and the current distrust of the economic forces behind certain areas of the media.

With its unique graphic approach and clear, authoritative text, How Politics Works is the perfect introduction to the subject, and an ideal companion title to DK's The Politics Book in the "Big Ideas" series.

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction

Winner of the Stowe Prize

Winner of 2022 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism

PEN America 2022 John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Finalist

A New York Times 10 Best Books of 2021

A Time 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2021

Named a Best Book of 2021 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Economist, Smithsonian, Esquire, Entropy, The Christian Science Monitor, WBEZ's Nerdette Podcast, TeenVogue, GoodReads, SheReads, BookPage, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Fathom Magazine, the New York Public Library, and the Chicago Public Library

One of GQ's 50 Best Books of Literary Journalism of the 21st Century

Longlisted for the National Book Award

Los Angeles Times, Best Nonfiction Gift

One of President Obama's Favorite Books of 2021

This compelling #1 New York Times bestseller examines the legacy of slavery in America--and how both history and memory continue to shape our everyday lives.

Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith leads the reader on an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks--those that are honest about the past and those that are not--that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation's collective history, and ourselves.

It is the story of the Monticello Plantation in Virginia, the estate where Thomas Jefferson wrote letters espousing the urgent need for liberty while enslaving more than four hundred people. It is the story of the Whitney Plantation, one of the only former plantations devoted to preserving the experience of the enslaved people whose lives and work sustained it. It is the story of Angola, a former plantation-turned-maximum-security prison in Louisiana that is filled with Black men who work across the 18,000-acre land for virtually no pay. And it is the story of Blandford Cemetery, the final resting place of tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers.

A deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history, How the Word Is Passed illustrates how some of our country's most essential stories are hidden in plain view--whether in places we might drive by on our way to work, holidays such as Juneteenth, or entire neighborhoods like downtown Manhattan, where the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men, women, and children has been deeply imprinted.

Informed by scholarship and brought to life by the story of people living today, Smith's debut work of nonfiction is a landmark of reflection and insight that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in making sense of our country and how it has come to be.

Now on Netflix as a 4-part documentary series!

"Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured." --New York Times

A #1 New York Times Bestseller, New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018, and

New York Times Notable Book

A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences

When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.

A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's mental travelogue is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.

The secret to more energy, better gut health, and a happier you is simple: Eat more plants.

Happy gut microbes are the key to our health goals--they support our brain, skin, immunity, hormones, metabolism, and more. In How to Eat More Plants, Dr. Megan Rossi explains how to give your gut what it really craves--variety!

Eat 30 different plants per week, to fuel up on fiber and nutrients

Each fruit, vegetable, legume, grain, nut, and seed counts as 1 Plant Point--and getting to 30 is easier than you think.

Start your journey with the 28-day Plant Points Challenge

Dr. Rossi's 4-week plan makes it fun to get more plants on the menu!

Rock up Plant Points with over 80 delicious recipes

Fiber-filled breakfasts: Eat-the-Rainbow Pancakes

Lighter bites: Leafy Taco Wraps, Butternut Muffins

Easy to-go lunches: Roasted Veggie and Freekeh Salad

Protein-packed dinners: Stir-fry, five ways; Hearty Lasagna

Decadent desserts: Prebiotic Rocky Road, Loaded Melon Wedges

How to Eat More Plants is all about inclusion, not exclusion--whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or just want to eat more veggies. Don't diet--diversify. Your gut will thank you.

Learn about scales of measurement used in everything from meteorology to music notation in this comprehensive and informative reference guide.

Measurement is constantly all around us. It forms the foundations of science - the ohms and amps of physics and the moles and isotopes of chemistry - and shapes our every day.

Our relationships with measurement start the moment we wake and check the day's temperature and continue until the precise second we go to sleep. But beyond the familiar measurements, hundreds more are listed in this entertaining and revealing reference book.

Packed with unusual and fascinating facts ranging from everyday amounts, such as how much salt is there in a pinch (1/8 teaspoon), to key scientific measurements, including the parsec, which is equivalent to 3.26 light-years, or just over 19.26 trillion miles, How to Measure Anything's entries are accompanied by diagrams, symbols and illustrations to help demonstrate these concepts and measurements in action.

The methods used to measure food, photography, finance, commerce, magnetism, atomic physics are just a fraction of the areas covered in this essential guide that helps us to better understand how our world works.

The book that every parent, caregiver, and teacher needs to raise the next generation of antiracist thinkers, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Grant.

"Kendi's latest . . . combines his personal experience as a parent with his scholarly expertise in showing how racism affects every step of a child's life. . . . Like all his books, this one is accessible to everyone regardless of race or class."--Los Angeles Times (Book Club Pick)

The tragedies and reckonings around racism that are rocking the country have created a specific crisis for parents, educators, and other caregivers: How do we talk to our children about racism? How do we teach children to be antiracist? How are kids at different ages experiencing race? How are racist structures impacting children? How can we inspire our children to avoid our mistakes, to be better, to make the world better?

These are the questions Ibram X. Kendi found himself avoiding as he anticipated the birth of his first child. Like most parents or parents-to-be, he felt the reflex to not talk to his child about racism, which he feared would stain her innocence and steal away her joy. But research and experience changed his mind, and he realized that raising his child to be antiracist would actually protect his child, and preserve her innocence and joy. He realized that teaching students about the reality of racism and the myth of race provides a protective education in our diverse and unequal world. He realized that building antiracist societies safeguards all children from the harms of racism.

Following the accessible genre of his internationally bestselling How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi combines a century of scientific research with a vulnerable and compelling personal narrative of his own journey as a parent and as a child in school. The chapters follow the stages of child development from pregnancy to toddler to schoolkid to teenager. It is never too early or late to start raising young people to be antiracist.

An indispensable practical toolkit for dismantling racism in the workplace without fear

Reporting and personal testimonials have exposed racism in every institution in this country. But knowing that racism exists isn't nearly enough. Social media posts about #BlackLivesMatter are nice, but how do you push leadership towards real anti-racist action?

Diversity and inclusion strategist Y-Vonne Hutchinson helps tech giants, political leaders, and Fortune 500 companies speak more productively about racism and bias and turn talk into action. In this clear and accessible guide, Hutchinson equips employees with a framework to think about race at work, prepares them to have frank and effective conversations with more powerful leaders, helps them center marginalized perspectives, and explains how to leverage power dynamics to get results while navigating backlash and gaslighting.

How to Talk To Your Boss About Race is a crucial handbook to moving beyond fear to push for change. No matter how much formal power you have, you can create antiracist change at work.

A compelling guide to the fundamental place of humour and comedy within Western culture--by one of its greatest exponents

Written by an acknowledged master of comedy, this study reflects on the nature of humour and the functions it serves. Why do we laugh? What are we to make of the sheer variety of laughter, from braying and cackling to sniggering and chortling? Is humour subversive, or can it defuse dissent? Can we define wit?

Packed with illuminating ideas and a good many excellent jokes, the book critically examines various well-known theories of humour, including the idea that it springs from incongruity and the view that it reflects a mildly sadistic form of superiority to others. Drawing on a wide range of literary and philosophical sources, Terry Eagleton moves from Aristotle and Aquinas to Hobbes, Freud, and Bakhtin, looking in particular at the psychoanalytical mechanisms underlying humour and its social and political evolution over the centuries.

#1 New York Times Bestseller

"Funny and smart as hell" (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Every time Allie Brosh posts something new on her hugely popular blog Hyperbole and a Half the internet rejoices.

This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features more than fifty percent new content, with ten never-before-seen essays and one wholly revised and expanded piece as well as classics from the website like, "The God of Cake," "Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving," and her astonishing, "Adventures in Depression," and "Depression Part Two," which have been hailed as some of the most insightful meditations on the disease ever written.

Brosh's debut marks the launch of a major new American humorist who will surely make even the biggest scrooge or snob laugh. We dare you not to.

FROM THE AUTHOR:
This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative--like maybe someone who isn't me wrote it--but I soon discovered that I'm not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:

Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*

*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!

Throughout his life, Dr. Bill has found guidance in the blue-collar adaptations of centuries-old wisdom: I have never failed, but I have extensive experience with things that do not work; there is no such thing as bad weather, just a poor choice of clothes; and shut up and do your work. He has modeled the exemplary lives of his parents and been tailwinded by the unconditional support of his wife, Sheila. Dr. Bill shares stories about OCD Shepherd crosses and a German Shorthaired Pointer with three testicles. There are tributes to a one-eyed mechanic, the Pike County Jesus, and Certified Nursing Assistants. Dr. Bill shines a light on the plight of loneliness among the elderly, calls into question the dehumanizing effect of technology, and respectfully opposes The Wall Street Journal and Princeton Professor Emeritus Harry W. Frankfurt. Dr. Bill lives each day to earn the words said, and the tears shed at a Baptist church in Atlanta in April 1999. The two hundred stories he's written leading up to ADB were only a warmup to properly honor the legacy of The Amazing Dick Bass.

The Simulmatics Corporation, founded in 1959, mined data, targeted voters, accelerated news, manipulated consumers, destabilized politics, and disordered knowledge--decades before Facebook, Amazon, and Cambridge Analytica. Although Silicon Valley likes to imagine that it has no past, the scientists of Simulmatics are almost undoubtedly the long-dead ancestors of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk--or so argues Jill Lepore, distinguished Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer, in this "hilarious, scathing, and sobering" (David Runciman) account of the origins of predictive analytics and behavioral data science.