Social Power

How do you handle jerks—politely, strategically, and without losing your cool? They’re everywhere. The loudmouth at work who dominates every meeting. The sarcastic relative who always has a cutting remark. The impatient driver who honks before the light even turns green. Jerks show up in every corner of life—and too often, they drag us into their chaos. Most people either fight back, wasting energy in pointless battles, or retreat, letting the jerk win by default. Neither works. But what if there was a smarter way?

Henry Every was the 17th century’s most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular - and wildly inaccurate - reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Every’s most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a major shift in the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event - the attack on an Indian treasure ship by Every and his crew - and its surprising repercussions across time and space.

The art of speaking can be systematically learned, and if you have the desire, discipline, and determination - not to mention one of the world's greatest presenters as your teacher - you too can become a persuasive and powerful speaker. Tracy reveals time-tested tricks of the trade you can use to present powerfully and speak persuasively, whether in an informal meeting or in front of a large group of people.

In Everything Is a Story, award-winning Indigenous author Kaitlin B. Curtice considers how stories take root in our lives like an acorn that grows into an oak tree. Following a story's life cycle, Curtice explores how narratives shape both our inner lives and broader communities. Which stories should we pass on to future generations—and which can we finally let go?

The founder of the international Transition Towns movement asks why true creative, positive thinking is in decline, asserts that it's more important now than ever, and suggests ways our communities can revive and reclaim it.

Having treated some of the world's most successful people, psychotherapist "Dr. Paul" sets out to answer why so many people who have everything end up feeling like their achievements are never enough - as well as what that pattern can reveal about ourselves and the society in which we live. The exclusivity of living behind the velvet rope or the gilded gate doesn't guarantee happiness for the rich, famous, and powerful; there are downsides to attainment as well.

Do you want to understand how influence works in real life—not just on paper? This book explores the tools, tactics, and psychology behind persuasion, manipulation, and unconscious influence. Whether you're looking to strengthen your own defenses or learn how to ethically influence others, this guide provides a structured introduction to the most powerful psychological techniques used in everyday life.

Getting heard is a tricky business: It’s what you say and how you show up, filtered through your audience’s assumptions and biases—and maybe even your own. For women, people of color, immigrants, and queer folks, there’s often a dissonance between how you speak and how we collectively think powerful people should speak: like the wealthy white men who’ve historically been in charge. But, fortunately, the sound of power is changing.

Simple yet powerful techniques to develop the public speaking and presentation skills you need to succeed! You will learn how to deal with your F.E.A.R. of public speaking. You will learn how fear is just an acronym F - Future E - Events A - Appear R - Ruinous and how to overcome it.

Developing successful relationships is critical to our success in both our personal and professional lives. The Power of Understanding People shows you how to establish and develop extremely effective relationships by providing you with techniques to better identify and understand the intrinsic needs of others. As a result, you will achieve better team dynamics, increased sales and client satisfaction, higher levels of employee engagement and performance, and even more satisfying marriages and friendships.

In Words Like Loaded Pistols, Sam Leith traces the art of argument from ancient Greece down to its many modern mutations. He introduces verbal villains from Hitler to Richard Nixon—and the three musketeers: ethos, pathos and logos. He explains how rhetoric works in speeches from Cicero to Obama, and pays tribute to the rhetorical brilliance of AC/DC's "Back In Black". Before you know it, you'll be confident in chiasmus and proud of your panegyrics—because rhetoric is useful, relevant, and absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

In this decade, our digital world has grown exponentially as has the degree of time both adults and children are spending on their screens. Not surprisingly, researchers are discovering a myriad of unhealthy behaviors associated with excessive screen time. In Power Down & Parent Up, Kenley expands on her groundbreaking audiobook Cyber Bullying No More, giving parents/guardians effective strategies to integrate into their lives and their children's. How can we navigate a tech-driven world and raise tech-healthy children?

In 1929, Stalin plunged Soviet Russia into a coercive "revolution from above", a decade-long effort to amass military-industrial power for a new war. He forced 25 million peasant families into state-run collectives and transformed the Communist Party into a servile instrument. In 1939, he concluded the pact with Hitler that enabled him to grasp at Eastern Europe while Hitler made war in the West.

Producer, editor, and writer behind the highly addictive, informative, and popular YouTube channel The Nerdwriter, Evan Puschak presents “a brilliant, wide-ranging essay collection that explores meaning and how we make it with the thoughtfulness and open-hearted generosity that have long been hallmarks of Puschak’s writing” (John Green, New York Times bestselling author).

Inequality is up. Decent work is down. Free market fundamentalism has been exposed as a tragic failure. In a job market upended by COVID-19—with Canadians caught in the grip of precarious labour, stagnant wages, a climate crisis, and the steady creep of automation—an ever-louder chorus of voices calls for a liveable and obligation-free basic income.

Are you yearning to tap into your feminine wisdom, power, and purpose? Do you feel called to align your life with the rhythms of the natural world and embody your divine essence? In this groundbreaking book, Melissa Smith takes you on a journey of deep feminine awakening, empowering you

Published in more than two dozen countries, How to Change the World has become a bible for the field of social entrepreneurship. It tells the stories of people building innovative and pattern-changing solutions to social and economic problems.

Learn to navigate the harshness of life with soft power. In her debut book, Lotte Jeffs, weaves powerful life experience with practical advice and a psychological deep-dive into what truly constitutes an emotionally rich and meaningful existence. She speaks to everyone, from agony aunts and archaeologists to pop stars and novelists, to explore a diverse picture of what it is to truly live life well.

From one of the most admired reporters covering China today comes a vital new account of the life and political vision of Xi Jinping, the authoritarian leader of the People’s Republic whose hard-edged tactics have set the rising superpower on a collision with Western liberal democracies. Party of One shatters the many myths that shroud one of the world’s most secretive political organizations and its leader. Many observers misread Xi during his early years in power, projecting their own hopes that he would steer China toward more political openness, rule of law, and pro-market economics.

In Love Your Lady Landscape, Lisa Lister takes us on a revelatory journey through the terrain of what it is to be a woman. It will move you into a fiercely loving and healing relationship with your body and teach you how to use its cycles and signs to create a life of vitality and fulfillment.