Religious Extremism

In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, J. M. Berger offers a nuanced introduction to extremist movements, explaining what extremism is, how extremist ideologies are constructed, and why extremism can escalate into violence. 

John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907) was a Scottish evangelist and “faith healer” who migrated to the United States from Australia in the late 1800s. Dowie was referred to by critics of his time as a “confidence man”, a person who appealed to the confidence of victims using deception to convince or persuade them out of money or into submission. In the case of Dowie’s Christian Catholic Church cult following, commonly referred to as “Zionites” or “Dowieites”, both money and power were gained.

Even for an average citizen, a love triangle is dangerous business. For assassin John Rainn - "one of the most compelling lead characters in the genre" ( USA Today) it's going to be downright deadly. When Rain learns that his former lover, Midori, has been raising their child in New York, Rain senses a chance for reconciliation, perhaps even for redemption. But Midori and the child are being watched by Rain's enemies, and Rain's sudden appearance puts them in terrible danger. To save them, Rain is forced to use the same deadly talents he had been hoping to leave behind.

Random House presents the audiobook edition of In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin, written and read by Lindsey Hilsum. ** BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK ** ‘It has always seemed to me that what I write about is humanity in extremis, pushed to the unendurable, and that it is...

An implacable foe with telepathic cohesion in battle, near immortality, and eons-advanced engineering skills threatens to wipe humanity from the galaxy. What's more, they've overcome their one weakness - no faster-than-light travel - and have followed humanity through our star gates and beyond. But humans are the master of adaption and have got a counterpunch of devastating proportions in reserve.

Braverman Shaw—"Bravo" to his friends—always knew his father had secrets. But not until Dexter Shaw dies does Bravo discover that his father belonged to the Order of Gnostic Observatines, a hidden sect long believed to be extinct. For centuries, the Order has guarded a lost Testament that...