Building Social

When Grace @FilthyBlueBird tweeted her dirtiest, most delicious secret desires to MovieStar @VaughnAsher she never expected a reply, let alone a face-to-face meeting and an offer of a lifetime. And when MovieStar @VaughnAsher figured out the woman vacationing at his family’s St. Thomas resort was the author of all those dirty hashtags a fan was relentlessly tweeting at him...well that was a challenge he couldn’t pass up. He was more than happy to #RockHerFilthyWorld.

These days, many of us find it easier to avoid face-to-face contact in favor of technological shortcuts. Why take the trouble to meet someone in person when we can simply send an email or a text? But as Michael Gelb argues in this compelling book, the meaningful relationships that come from real interaction are the basis of success. In The Art of Connection, Gelb offers listeners seven methods of developing better rapport in their professional and personal lives.

Once pitted as adversarial counterparts as the opinion editors of Detroit's right- and left-leaning newspapers, veteran journalists Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson join forces in this groundbreaking work to champion a novel approach to political discourse. Finley, a resolute conservative, and Henderson, a committed progressive, defy expectations by demonstrating that civil conversation is not only possible but also richly rewarding, even across colossal ideological divides.

As the world's foremost cycling nation, the Netherlands is the only country where the number of bikes exceeds the number of people, primarily because the Dutch have built a cycling culture accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or economic means. Building the Cycling City examines the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch while also presenting stories of North American cities already implementing lessons from across the Atlantic.

When I was younger, I used to think interesting people were born different. They always seemed to have the best stories, the perfect observations, the magnetic spark that made everyone want to be around them. I thought you either had it or you didn’t. What I discovered over the years is that being interesting is not about being born with some rare talent—it’s about how you choose to live and how you choose to see. This book is the result of years of paying attention, experimenting in conversations, and learning how small shifts can make a big difference in the way people experience you.

Unfounded beliefs and hateful political and social divisions that can cascade into violence are threatening to pull the world apart. Responding to fear and aggression strategically and with compassion is vital if we are to push back against the politics of hate and live in greater safety and harmony.

An exciting, hugely revealing account of China’s burgeoning presence in Africa - a developing empire already shaping, and reshaping, the future of millions of people. A prizewinning foreign correspondent and former New York Times bureau chief in Shanghai and in West and Central Africa, Howard French is uniquely positioned to tell the story of China in Africa. Through meticulous on-the-ground reporting, French crafts a layered investigation of astonishing depth and breadth.

Tell the truth. Say please and thank you. Do your chores. These are just a few ways to show and build good character. In these inspiring and engaging titles, young listeners will learn more about positive character traits and how to implement them in their daily lives.

This inspiring kids’ book about telling the truth follows Little Nick as he learns the consequences of telling even small lies. This engaging and highly relatable story offers a way to teach children about building trust and the importance of being honest. Little Nick doesn’t think his little lies are a problem, so he continues to tell more of them through the story. But when something bigger happens and no one believes him, Nick learns the consequences of not telling the truth. He discovers the joy of being trustworthy and the courage it takes to be honest.

You are a podcaster. And if you were a beast on a David Attenborough nature documentary, that would be your plaintive cry. This is not a book about how to make a podcast. You know how to do that, and anyway, the tech in podcasting changes all the time. This book will be useful to you for the rest of your career, because it will show you how to make your podcast better. The Audience is Listening is a book of tough love that presents you with a repeatable process to earn and keep an audience.

In this insightful and practical guide, Rebecca Parcker skips the fluff and hands you the complete playbook to building a personal brand that will help you succeed as a social media influencer and help you chart your way to success in the age of social media.

Joining the ranks of Evicted, The Warmth of Other Sons, and classic works of literary non-fiction by Alex Kotlowitz and J. Anthony Lukas, High-Risers braids personal narratives, city politics, and national history to tell the timely and epic story of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green, America’s most...

Rashid examines Central Asia, and the corridors of power in Washington and Europe, to see how the promised nation building in the region has progressed. His conclusions are devastating.

Do you ever feel like making friends as an adult is harder than it should be? You’re not alone. In today’s world, millions struggle with loneliness, shallow connections, and social isolation—but building genuine friendships is absolutely possible with the right strategies.

Learn the secrets to building thriving relationships—even through the toughest conflicts! Are misunderstandings or recurring arguments creating distance in your relationships? Do disagreements leave you feeling frustrated, disconnected, or overwhelmed? Do you wish to resolve conflict with grace, compassion, and understanding? You've chosen the right book. Imagine confidently handling conflicts and knowing exactly how to express your needs while truly listening to others.

Building Equitable Early Learning Programs: A Social-Justice Approach gives educators the facts, examples, strategies, and approaches needed to create and sustain programs and practices that can best serve our communities.

Networking is often considered a necessary evil for all working professionals. With social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at our disposal, reaching potential investors or employers is much easier. Yet, these connections often feel transactional and agenda-driven, leaving professionals feeling burnt out and stressed out.

As Christians, when we take a stand for our faith, we want to avoid coming across as overly combative or adversarial. While it's important to be uncompromising when we communicate the truth, Scripture also calls us to speak the truth with love. Bridge-Building Apologetics is about establishing caring and compassionate relationships with those whom you desire to reach for Christ. Going beyond merely comparing truth with error, this accessible and informative guide shows you how to overcome relational barriers and graciously reach out to those with whom you disagree.

Use this guide to storytelling as a sturdy foundation to change how you use stories. You can build solid stories to support your goals in business and life. The provided examples are from some of the world's greatest speakers, storytellers, with advice from leading experts. From best-selling authors to generation-changing motivational speakers, this audiobook covers all the fundamentals of outstanding storytelling. It will help you deliver stories to audiences that will leave them personally affected and motivated.

When your work is inextricable from your identity, your community, and your own liberation, you need a unique praxis of care to sustain it—and for mission-driven activists, organizers, and changemakers working under oppressive systems, making space to center vital needs like rest, self-care, and healthy boundaries isn’t as simple as clocking out. Practicing Liberation reorients collective justice work toward a model that transforms the effects of injustice, harm, and oppressive systems into resilience, joy, and community care.