The Knew York Times

by A. L. Dallapiccola

Hindu myths have been adapted over the centuries to incorporate new or revised characters, and they continue to play a central role in modern Indian life. Retold here in their colorful and dramatic splendor, the Hindu myths touch on the key narrative themes of creation, preservation, destruction, delusion, and the bestowal of grace.

by Clair Wills

Where previous histories of Ireland in the war years have focused on high politics, That Neutral Island mines deeper layers of experience. Stories, letters, and diaries illuminate this small country as it suffered rationing, censorship, the threat of invasion, and a strange detachment from the war.

by Sasha Issenberg

Journalist Sash Issenberg traces sushi's journey from Tokyo street snack to global delicacy, in this fascinating history. Issenberg examines not just the foodstuff itself, but the history, economics and businesses behind the famous fish recipes. It covers topics including the birth of modern sushi, the mysterious underworld of pirates and the tuna black market, Nobu Matsuhisa and what sushi chefs really do behind the bar. It jumps from Mediterranean docks to tuna-auctions to cargo holds to Shanghai streets, all the while making a surprising case against eating local.

by Sŭng-ho Kwŏn

This important new study argues that an historical analysis of the labour-management policies of the Korean family conglomerates, or chaebol, is essential for a complete understanding of the dynamics of South Korean industrial relations. Focusing on the labour-management strategies of the Hyundai Business Group, the book offers a new perspective on the Asian 'tiger' economy.

by Bob Woodward

In Obama’s Wars, Bob Woodward provides the most intimate and sweeping portrait yet of the young president as commander in chief. Drawing on internal memos, classified documents, meeting notes and hundreds of hours of interviews with most of the key players, including the president, Woodward tells the inside story of Obama making the critical decisions on the Afghanistan War, the secret campaign in Pakistan and the worldwide fight against terrorism. At the core of Obama’s Wars is the unsettled division between the civilian leadership in the White House and the United States military as the president is thwarted in his efforts to craft an exit plan for the Afghanistan War. “So what’s my option?” the president asked his war cabinet, seeking alternatives to the Afghanistan commander’s request for 40,000 more troops in late 2009. “You have essentially given me one option. ...It’s unacceptable.” “Well,” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates finally said, “Mr. President, I think we owe you that option.” It never came. An untamed Vice President Joe Biden pushes relentlessly to limit the military mission and avoid another Vietnam. The vice president frantically sent half a dozen handwritten memos by secure fax to Obama on the eve of the final troop decision. President Obama’s ordering a surge of 30,000 troops and pledging to start withdrawing U.S. forces by July 2011 did not end the skirmishing. General David Petraeus, the new Afghanistan commander, thinks time can be added to the clock i

by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

The New York Times bestselling author of Begin Again confronts America’s unfinished story in this blistering reassessment of race, freedom, and the myths that bind us. “A thoughtful, insightful, beautifully written book that is timely and welcomed in these perilous times.”—Bryan Stevenson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just Mercy “Eddie S. Glaude Jr. opens a necessary conversation as we reflect on the meaning of our country’s 250th anniversary.”—Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello Celebrated public intellectual Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. presents a groundbreaking analysis of the vicious cycles of American history and the country’s enduring refusal to face its true nature—especially at the moments when national anniversaries steer us back toward the mythology meant to disguise the truth. America, U.S.A., deliberately formulated and beautifully written, details a heart-wrenching exploration of America’s legacy. It is a magnificently complex combination of lessons and voices—from W.E.B. DuBois and John Dos Passos to Herman Melville and Martin Luther King, Jr.—that, together, paint a sprawling and honest tableau of the United States, its complicated past, and ever more tenuous future. Glaude’s is a powerful voice of conscience in our tumultuous world. He pulls no punches, calling on us to interrogate our conceptions of innocence and freedom and the stories we tell ourselves about our past and present. Centered around the major celebrations of America’s milestone birthdays across 250 years of history, the book offers a riveting look at the battles over who has a stake in writing the American story. Devastatingly candid, profoundly moving, and deeply reflective, America, U.S.A. is a shining meditation on how we must reckon with a grim past in order to strive for the better angels of our future.

by Pippa Norris

The belief that religion was dying became the conventional wisdom in the social sciences during most of the 20th century. However, religion has not disappeared and is unlikely to do so, and the secularization thesis needs updating. This text develops a theory of secularization and existential security.

by Michael Dillon

Annotation Michael Dillon challenges the dominant paradigm on which the theory of international relations is based. Looking back and considering Greek tragedy and the ideas of Heidegger, he offers us insights into how we understand security and insecurity.

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

The culmination of a lifetime of fascination and speculation, Tyson applies the universal laws of physics to make the case for what aliens might look like, act like, how they might travel, what they might think. Should such an event occur, Tyson offers useful etiquettte tips for your first close encounter.

by Justin A. Frank

A renowned Washington, D.C.-based psychoanalyst examines George W. Bush's public persona and asks serious questions about whether he's fit for the office he holds.

by Jeff Singleton

Singleton examines the origins and implementation of the first federal welfare programs in the early 1930s. Based on his extensive research in the archives of federal welfare agencies, Singleton seeks to link the expansion and federalization of relief with recent efforts to reform "welfare."

by Ellen Seiter

Based on four years of experience teaching computers to 8-12 year olds, media scholar Ellen Seiter offers parents and educators practical advice on what children need to know about the Internet and when they need to know it. The Internet Playground argues that, contrary to the promises of technology boosters, teaching with computers is very difficult. Seiter points out that the Internet today resembles a mall more than it does a library. While children love to play online games, join fan communities, and use online chat and instant messaging, the Internet is also an appallingly aggressive marketer to children and, as this book passionately argues, an educational boondoggle.

by Jean Bodin

Contains four chapters from Jean Bodin's classic text "Six Livres de la Republique". These chapters form the core of the work, detailing Bodin's theory of sovereignty, which contended that the entire power of the state should be vested in a single individual or group.

by Paul R. Krugman

A respected economist shares a collection of his columns from "The New York Times" that analyzes the course of the American economy, looking at the collapse of fiscal responsibility, corporate scandals, and how the nation can get back on track.