Cornel West is one of the nation’s premier public intellectuals and one of the great prophetic voices of our era. Whether he is writing a scholarly book or an article for Newsweek, whether he i
Provides a detailed study of the life of the nineteenth-century writer, covering her life under slavery, as a fugitive slave, and in the post-Civil War years, and her writing of the slave narrative "I
Our national conversation about race is ludicrously out of date. Hip hop is the key to understanding how things are changing. In a provocative book that will appeal to hip-hoppers both black and whit
A stirring collection of civil rights speeches includes a never-before-published speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., in a volume that captures the civil rights movements of African Americans, gays, Asi
Darryl Pinckney, the acclaimed author of the novel High Cotton and iconoclast known for his writings in The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker and elsewhere, affirms the literary power of the A
"As World War II raged overseas, Harlem witnessed a battle of its own. Brimming with creative and political energy, Harlem's diverse array of artists and activists launched a bold cultural offensive a
A primer for twenty-first century racial politics in America by the author of Black Leadership proposes a new kind of inclusive democracy that encompasses such positions as the re-enfranchisement of f
Stokely Carmichael, the charismatic and controversial black activist, stepped onto the pages of history when he called for Black Power” during a speech one Mississippi night in 1966. A firebrand who s
Presents a selection of the thoughts of the eminent African-American scholar on topics ranging from faith, justice, and race to leadership, politics, and literature.
Three years ago, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovered an unpublished manuscript, The Bondwoman's Narrative, By Hannah Crafts, A Fugitive Recently Escaped From North Carolina, which turned out to be the f
A New York Times-bestselling author and veteran board member offers an insider's view of corporate boards, their struggles, and why they must adapt to surviveCorporate boards are under great pressure.
Afierce,funny,andrevolutionarylookatthequeensoftheanimalkingdomStudying zoology madeLucy Cookefeel like a sad freak. Not becausesheloved spiders or would root around in animalfeces:allherfriendsshared the same curious kinks.The problemwashersex. Being female meantshewas, by nature,a loser.Since Charles Darwin,evolutionary biologistshave been convincedthatthemalesof the animalkingdomarethe interesting onesdominatingandpromiscuous,whilefemalesaredull,passive,and devoted.InBitch,Cooketells a new story.Whether investigatingsame-sexfemalealbatrosscouplesthat raise chicks, murderous mother meerkats, or the titanic battle of the sexes waged by ducks,Cookeshows us a new evolutionary biology, one where females can be as dynamic as any male.Thisisn';tyourgrandfather's evolutionary biology.It's more inclusive, truer to life, and, simply, more fun.
Why understanding evolution―the most reviled branch of science―can help us all, from fighting pandemics to undoing racism Evolutionary science has long been regarded as conservative, a tool for enforcing regressive ideas, particularly about race and gender. But in A Voice in the Wilderness, evolutionary biologist Joseph L. Graves Jr.―once styled as the “Black Darwin”―argues that his field is essential to social justice. He shows, for example, why biological races do not exist. He dismantles recent work in “human biodiversity” seeking genes to explain the achievements of different ethnic groups. He decimates homophobia, sexism, and classism as well. As a pioneering Black biologist, a leftist, and a Christian, Graves uses his personal story―his journey from a child of Jim Crow to a major researcher and leader of his peers―to rewrite his field. A Voice in the Wilderness is a powerful work of scientific anti-racism and a moving account of a trailblazing life.
How games are being harnessed as instruments of exploitation―and what we can do about it Warehouse workers pack boxes while a virtual dragon races across their screen. If they beat their colleagues, they get an award. If not, they can be fired. Uber presents exhausted drivers with challenges to keep them driving. China scores its citizens so they behave well, and games with in-app purchases use achievements to empty your wallet.Points, badges, and leaderboards are creeping into every aspect of modern life. In You’ve Been Played, game designer Adrian Hon delivers a blistering takedown of how corporations, schools, and governments use games and gamification as tools for profit and coercion. These are games that we often have no choice but to play, where losing has heavy penalties. You’ve Been Played is a scathing indictment of a tech-driven world that wants to convince us that misery is fun, and a call to arms for anyone who hopes to preserve their dignity and autonomy.
A groundbreaking exposé of how our legal system makes it nearly impossible to overturn wrongful convictions Thousands of innocent people are behind bars in the United States. But proving their innocence and winning their release is nearly impossible. In Barred, legal scholar Daniel S. Medwed argues that our justice system’s stringent procedural rules are largely to blame for the ongoing punishment of the innocent. Those rules guarantee criminal defendants just one opportunity to appeal their convictions directly to a higher court. Afterward, the wrongfully convicted can pursue only a few narrow remedies. Even when there is strong evidence of a miscarriage of justice, rigid guidelines, bias, and deference toward lower courts all too often prevent exoneration. Offering clear explanations of legal procedures alongside heart-wrenching stories of their devastating impact, Barred exposes how the system is stacked against the innocent and makes a powerful call for change.
A spellbinding exploration of the human capacity to imagine the future Our ability to think about the future is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. In The Invention of Tomorrow, cognitive scientists Thomas Suddendorf, Jonathan Redshaw, and Adam Bulley argue that its emergence transformed humans from unremarkable primates to creatures that hold the destiny of the planet in their hands. Drawing on their own cutting-edge research, the authors break down the science of foresight, showing us where it comes from, how it works, and how it made our world. Journeying through biology, psychology, history, and culture, they show that thinking ahead is at the heart of human nature―even if we often get it terribly wrong. Incisive and expansive, The Invention of Tomorrow offers a fresh perspective on the human tale that shows how our species clawed its way to control the future.
