Reading Social

Why is it that we read? Is it to pass time? To learn something new? To escape from reality? For Will Schwalbe, reading is a way to entertain himself but also to make sense of the world, to become a better person, and to find the answers to the big (and small) questions about how to live his life. In this delightful celebration of reading, Schwalbe invites us along on his quest for books that speak to the specific challenges of living in our modern world, with all its noise and distractions.

From gun control to reproductive health, a conservative Supreme Court will reshape the lives of all Americans for decades to come. The time to develop and defend a progressive vision of the US Constitution that protects the rights of all people is now.

Legal luminary Burt Neuborne argues that the structure of the First Amendment as well as of the entire Bill of Rights was more intentional than most people realize, beginning with the internal freedom of conscience and working outward to freedom of expression and finally freedom of public association. This design, Neuborne argues, was not to protect discrete individual rights - such as the rights of corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections.

At the height of the Syrian Civil War, deep beneath the shattered streets of rebel-held Darayya was a secret library. This basement room filled with thousands of books, rescued under constant sniper fire from gutted buildings, was an oasis of normality in a country at war with itself. Here, despite a devastating four-year siege, people risked their lives to read. Over a period of more than a year, Mike Thomson heard their extraordinary stories via tenuous Skype calls, emails, social media messages, and audio diaries recorded on their mobile phones.

Powerful reading and writing is fundamentally linked to civic education. The Civically Engaged Classroom is packed with practical guidance designed to support teachers in giving students the skills, knowledge, and tools to be active participants in society.

Anne Gisleson had lost her twin sisters, had been forced to flee her home during Hurricane Katrina, and had witnessed cancer take her beloved father. Before she met her husband, Brad, he had suffered his own trauma, losing his partner and the mother of his son to cancer in her young 30s. "How do we keep moving forward," Anne asks, "amid all this loss and threat?" The answer: "We do it together."

What if you were able to tell when your colleague's smile actually mean that they were irritated with you? Would you change your tactics of negotiation if you knew how the person in your business meeting was really interpreting your suggestions? Obviously, the skill of reading people offers an amazing advantage. Most people want to think that they are already good at interpreting other people's body language signals, but the fact is that we aren't as good at this as we believe. Are you tired of guessing how people feel or constantly misinterpreting the signals of those around you?

Do you want to learn how to read anyone like it's an open book? Do you want to understand if you can trust anyone in a few minutes? Do you want to improve the quality of your relationships? Relationships are the most important aspect of a person's life, and learning to manage them by understanding the emotions of those around you will increase your self-esteem and lower your stress levels, allowing you to get what you want from any relationship or simply create really solid bonds.

Ever wondered what little things you can do to come across more confidently in social situations? Maybe there's a special someone out there you need a little help with getting closer to? In this book, we go over psychological tricks to navigating these social situations, and fostering better connections with the people around you, as well as reading basic body language, and building self confidence.

In just 1,337 words, the Declaration of Independence changed the world, but curiously it is now rarely read from start to finish, much less understood. Unsettled by this, Danielle Allen read the text quietly with students and discovered its animating power. "Bringing the analytical skills of a philosopher, the voice of a gifted memoirist, and the spirit of a soulful humanist to the task, Allen manages to find new meaning in Thomas Jefferson' s understanding of equality," says Joseph J. Ellis about Our Declaration.

After twenty years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a global pandemic, protests against racial violence, and frequent shootings, more Americans than ever are living with the effects of trauma. The good news is that Jesus was born and died in a traumatized world, and his story speaks forever to wounded people worldwide. Army veteran and Episcopal priest David Peters explores Jesus' life story through the post-traumatic lens with which the Gospel writers first wrote it.

The truth is, we all have a deep need to feel understood and connected to others. And yet, most of us do not know how to create those connections. Some may have given up all hope, but it does not have to be this way!

In any time of disruption or grief, many of us seek guidance in the work of great writers who endured similar circumstances. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, historian and biographer Robert Zaretsky did the same while also working as a volunteer in a nursing home in south Texas. In Victories Never Last, Zaretsky weaves his reflections on the pandemic siege of his nursing home with the testimony of six writers on their own times of plague: Thucydides, Marcus Aurelius, Michel de Montaigne, Daniel Defoe, Mary Shelley, and Albert Camus.

More than 2,000 years ago the Chinese strategist Sun Tzu advised us to know our enemies. The question has always been how. In A Sense of the Enemy, the historian Zachary Shore demonstrates that leaders can best understand an opponent not simply from his pattern of past behavior, but from his behavior at pattern breaks. Meaningful pattern breaks occur during dramatic deviations from the routine, when the enemy imposes costs upon himself. It's at these unexpected moments, Shore explains, that successful leaders can learn what makes their rivals truly tick.

Do you want to master German? Do you like urban fantasy novels? Are you tired of reading boring textbooks in order to learn German? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, this is a book you should consider. We introduce a one-of-a-kind learning tool that will enhance your comprehension, improve your German vocabulary and grammar, and let you enjoy an urban fantasy novel.

In a world where screens dominate children's attention, "Decline in Reading: How to Reverse the Trend" by Brian Yang is a rallying cry for parents, educators, and community leaders alike. This insightful book delves into the shocking statistics of declining reading habits among youth and the profound implications for their future. Yang passionately argues that reading is not merely a skill—it's a gateway to knowledge, empathy, and opportunity.

With Amazon's growing power in both bookselling and publishing, considering where and how we get our books is more important now than ever. The simple act of putting a book in a reader's hands—what booksellers call handselling—becomes a catalyst for an exploration of the moral, financial, and political pressures all indie bookstores face.

Many people find themselves in relationships with narcissists. You may wake up one day and find that you have been in a relationship with a narcissist for a long time. Reorienting toward a healthy relationship and standing up for yourself is totally possible and doable by applying the concepts you can learn in this book. Narcissists in relationships often try to isolate you, separate you from other relationships, and create a dynamic where they are the only person who is important.

How to Analyze People will walk you through how to look beyond the masks that are put on by the people around you, every day. So, begin observing the little clues and gestures that are often responsible for giving away a person’s true thoughts and intentions. Each and every single person around you is giving off signals and clues each day, and once you’re done listening to this book, you’ll be one step closer to mastering the art of analyzing people without them ever having to say a word.

Nancy's class is going on a trip to the museum, and Nancy wants to be extra fancy for the occasion. After a bumpy bus ride, she doesn't feel very well. Luckily for Nancy, her teacher, Ms. Glass, has a few fancy tricks of her own. Nothing can keep Nancy from making this trip magnifique! (That's a fancy French word for great!)